Half-Blood Stories
by NoMusicNoLifeAlways
Summary: Different storys from the lovable characters of the whole demigod world. The unpublished things that happened between the Adventures
1. The Story of the Pine Tree

"Keep running." Luke screamed pulling Annabeth behind him where she was stumbling being much smaller than and not as fast as Luke.  
Grover stumbled next to Thalia due to his hoof feet but he quickly got his footing or rather hoofing back and kept running.  
"Were almost," Grover huffed getting winded. "There." He pointed ahead. They had to get up this giant hill then they could find the opening of the camp. That was if they could out run the monsters.  
Luke cursed himself out. This was his fault. If he hadn't tried taking on that stupid hellhound mutt, then the furies wouldn't have found them so easily. Then they wouldn't have tried hiding in a Cyclopes layer who evidently tried to eat Thalia, Grover and him. They were lucky enough Annabeth, who was only seven was brave enough to stab the Cyclops in the foot and cut Thalia bonds so they could survive another day.  
All three of the furies were chasing them, with an army of hellhounds. Man did Luke really wish those Hunters of Artemis were still here. I mean Thalia almost punched the lead hunter girl in the face because something she had said to her, which he had no clue was about; but they had killed the monsters chasing after them and gave them time to run.  
Luke's heart pumped a beat with every step he took when he ran. He looked back and found three women who didn't look anything like women, flying up in the sky above them. There leather wings spread out as they glided above them. One of them started to swoop down and her sisters fallowed her. The three demigods and Satyr just kept running. They had to get to the camp where Grover said other camp members could help them out with there monster problem.  
"Watch out!" Luke yelled. Right then the Furies came down with there claws extended. Luke yanked Annabeth ahead of him and slashed at the Fury with his sword backbiter; she screeched and flew away from both of them. Grover screamed but when Luke looked at him he was fine and still running. Thalia had her magical shield Aegis out pointed at one of the furies who were trying to attack her; the monster hissed and flew away.  
"What are you waiting for? Run!" Thalia said looking back at Luke who had stopped running unlike Grover and Annabeth who were ahead of both of them. He nodded and they both dug there feet into the ground with every step they took to get away. Luke had this terrible Nott in his stomach.  
The Hellhounds were barking behind them and the Furies were cackling with joy tormenting all of the fleeing half-bloods, and Grover. "Stupid." Thalia grumbled under her breath. Luke had no idea if she was referring to the monsters or to him being so stupid.  
One of the hellhounds was faster then his other siblings and bit at the ankles of Luke and Thalia. Luke swiped behind him with his sword but he couldn't tell if he was actually hurting the hound. Thalia had her shield pointed behind her at the hound and glanced back at the monster still running. Luke spun around and slashed at the face of the hound. He must have aimed well because the dog yelped and thrashed and retreated into its siblings. It knocked one of the furies out of her flying pattern where she crashed into her sisters.  
"HA!" Luke gloated. He smiled even though he was terrified.  
"Come on." Thalia grabbed his free hand and pulled him along with her. Her shield had turned back into her little silver bracelet. It was easier to run when you weren't carrying a heavy scary looking shield.  
Grover had just reached the top of the hill ahead of them. Annabeth was between the goat boy and her two underage guardians. Luke was glad Annabeth wasn't seriously hurt unlike Thalia and him. They both were bleeding heavily from getting raked with so many different sharp claws, but it was better that they took the pain and not the little blond girl they both acted like parents for. Luke the Father and Thalia the… well you get the idea. He would have blushed thinking about this but he didn't have the blood to spare or the time.  
Annabeth stumbled and fell down scraping her knees and hands on the ground right before she reached the top of the hill. Thalia pulled away from Luke and rushed up to help her. She grabbed her arms and pushed her up to her feet. "Hurry, Annabeth." Thalia's voice trembled.  
The little girl had mud smudged all over herself. She had a few scratches on her arms, neck and one on her cheek but she seamed to be okay. Her curly blond hair was tangled over her grey eyes that streamed tears. Thalia pushed Annabeth forward softly and the little girl stumbled down the hill past a couple of lone trees after Grover who was half way down the hill now. Luke reached the top of the hill next to Thalia and they both could see the stone columns that signified the opening to the camp that could be a new _safe _and _permanent _home for them.  
"We did it." Luke's heart fluttered with a wide smile spreading across his face. "Come on." He never took his eyes away from the columns. Safety, Finally. He grabbed thalias hand and tried pulling her forward but she kept to where she stood.  
He looked back at her surprised. Her spiky black hair swished with the wind. Her face held total despair, which only made Luke want to fix anything that was making her sad. She had three even scratches over her left cheek, but even that couldn't make her any less beautiful then she was. Her leather jacket had saved her from the worst of the attacks but she still looked hurt. "Go, Luke." She stood planted to the ground looking at him petrified.  
"What are you doing? Were almost there." he looked back at the columns that Grover had run past into the safety of the camp to get help. Annabeth was almost there but she could still be hunted down easily.  
"There's no way your going to get there. They'll catch you. They want me. They always have wanted me." She shook her head as tears began to flood down her cheeks. "Go get help, I'll stay and fight. You'll have a better chance of surviving if I do this."  
She tapped her bracelet and spoke its name, and then her shield reappeared. Electricity crackled around her but she didn't seam to notice. She looked back behind her bravely.  
Luke couldn't breath, and it wasn't because of the running. He didn't want to loose her. He was too attached to her, and if he had to say it then he would even say he was in love with this black haired blue eyed girl. He thought it ridicules for a fourteen boy to be so infatuated with a girl who was two years younger then him but after she had been the only one he could depend on and it was the same for her that he had begun to love this girl. Annabeth had only made there bonds stronger like a couple bonding over a child.  
The furies screeched out in the night under the full moon. They had recollected themselves from the surprise attack from the blinded hellhound and now they were searching for there targets who were just standing on the top of half-blood hill as if they were asking to be killed.  
Luke swallowed hard and grabbed Thalias free hand. She gasped and looked back at him like he had just appeared right in front of her. "No, we can make it if we run now."  
Tears streamed down her face which only made her blue eyes brighter under the full moon light.  
"No, we can't. You can, but I can't." She looked back at the hellhounds who were running up the hill and would be there in seconds. "Go, Luke. They only want me, Hades is angry for some reason that I'm alive. He wants me dead, they only want me. Protect Annabeth." Somehow she kept a calm expression.  
She shoved him away from her but he still had her hand. He couldn't just leave her here to fight the monsters alone. "No, I'm staying. You won't die today; no one will accept those filthy monsters."  
Her eyes widened then she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. It shocked him but he just melted and went with it. He had dreamed guiltily about kissing her and calling her his one day and this could be the day. Her lips were soft just like he thought they would be. Electricity hummed around her making the hair on his arms stand up, it was exhilarating and he loved it. He loved her.  
He kissed her back wrapping his arms around her waist. She was the only thing he had ever wanted, a person who he could love and she would love him back. Her shield was still in her hand that was behind his back, her other one was around his neck that was moving down to his chest slowly. He rubbed her back feeling her smooth skin under her ripped and torn shirt and jacket. She moaned a little then her eyes shot open and pain flared up in his chest.  
He went flying and tumbled away from her down the hill. The sky and the ground got swirled together as he tumbled down the hill. When he stopped rolling he looked up and found the girl he had just had in his arms slashing at two of the Furies who hovered in front of her up on the top of the hill.  
He got up to his feet dizzy and his chest throbbing. He looked down and found his shirt black and partially charred around where he was hit. Thalia seduced him into kissing her then blasted him with a bit of her electricity to get him away from the monsters. She was protecting him; even though he was suppose to be doing that for her.  
He looked back to her petrified. She had her spear in her hand now and was jabbing at a hellhound; she jumped out the way but only into the range of another. She was doing okay now but she couldn't do it forever. He had to go get help he decided.  
He ran down the hill half stumbling half running past all the trees. He would look at the gate then look back at Thalia to make sure she was okay. Annabeth had just reached the gate and Grover was long gone past it. He looked back up the hill. Thalia had three Hellhounds around her and a fury had its claws wrapped around her shoulder of her jacket where she was hovering in the air a few feet. Come on idiot! He screamed at himself.  
He ran and ran, jumping over roots daring to trip him or past trees acting like obstacles for Luke. His heart pumped and his body responded to his screaming head. She's going to die if you don't hurry up!  
He stumbled the last part when he reached the columns. He looked back up to Thalia. She stabbed a Hellhound turning it to dust with her spear but another took its place next to her. Now that he wasn't up there he could see just how many hellhounds there were. Thalia was the little speck that was hacking at everything around her then there were hellhounds at every side of her plus more. The furies cackled as they swung there whips that danced like flames at her and she would cry out in pain but kept hacking with her spear and kept the monsters at bay with her shield.  
He had to help her. He screamed "Help! HELP!" He looked past the columns to where cabin looking buildings had kids bolting out of them realizing what was happening. They grabbed weapons and started running out of the safety of there camp in pajamas.  
They wouldn't be able to help her just yet though. Luke reached for his sword but when it wasn't at his side he realized he had left it up there with Thalia. It was right under the massive paws of the hellhounds. He would just have to risk it.  
He ran up the hill that was a lot harder to run up then down. He grabbed a branch that had fallen from one of the trees nearby. At least he had something to defend himself in till he got to his sword. Thalia cried out in pain and that caught Luke's attention.  
She fell to her hands and knees bleeding everywhere. Blood ran off of her like water would to the ground. The hounds snarled at her with there dagger like teeth but they didn't advance. The furies circled her still laughing at her pain, but they didn't hit her with there fire whips. She struggled to her feet shaken and very off balance.  
The next thing that happened Luke would probably never see in the rest of his life or ever want to. Electricity sparked around her like it had before but this time the clouds above her turned black and rumbled a deep base. She looked at all of the monsters as if waiting for one of them to attack her but none did. A crack of thunder and blinding white light struck. She thrusted her right hand up in the air right when white lightning hit the middle of her palm. A giant nuclear explosion is what the lightning acted like.  
White rings of electricity spread from where she stood. It eliminated everything in its path. The hellhounds didn't even have time to howl before they disappeared. The furies wailed then there screaming disappeared as the rings of electricity washed over them.  
If Luke had been closer to Thalia when she did this, he would be dead from electrocution. When the first ring of electricity came it slammed into him and he flew into the air again tumbling and landing at the feet of some very surprised campers who were at least twenty feet away from where he was originally standing before. He looked up and the rings of white electricity were still spreading from where Thalia was standing, monsters still disintegrating.  
"Thalia!" Luke screamed getting to his feet feeling static all around him. He couldn't even really look to where she was standing. The white electricity was so bright that it was blinding. The rings began to fade and Luke could start to run up to her without being pulled from his feet.  
Thalias silhouette appeared slowly when he got closer and the rings began to fade. She was standing still at the top of the hill. He was maybe thirty feet away from her. Then her knees buckled and she fell to her knees with a gasp. She was still alive but not for too long if nobody helped her.  
As he ran faster and got closer to her he could see the blood running down her bare skin. The shirt she had been wearing was eaten up totally and she was only in her shredded black leather jacket that barely covered her also charred bra. Her jeans were ripped and torn and eaten so much that they were shorts barely hanging on by a few threads.  
Normally he would look away instantly and normally if he had seen this much of her she would have screamed and punched him very hard. In which case he had once accidentally, and it was a total accident; Luke had walked in on her when she was taking a bath in a lake and Annabeth was suppose to be watching guard for her but she had run away after a butterfly that had fluttered her way like seven year olds would do. He was so shocked and Thalia was too. He had clamped his hands over his eyes but not before he had seen the curvature of her body, the way her white skin was so pail, the way he wanted to trail his hand against her bare back and sooth her as she was pressed against him. She was only waist deep in the mucky water and her back was to him when he had walked in on her but when she realized he was there her arms clamped down across her naked chest, she screamed and dove under the water before his horny fourteen year old boy mind could fantasize even more about her being naked. He blamed it on the fact that he was a boy with the way he wanted her. Otherwise he wouldn't have stood there petrified waiting for her to come up from the water. When she did, only her head had popped up from the deep water she was skinny dipping in. She told him to go away and that if he didn't she would seriously hurt him when she got out. Luke probably would have stood there for hours waiting for her to come out if his mind was the only one making decisions but the boy side of him wouldn't control him and he ran as fast as he could away from her in to the brush. The next week was embarrassing, because he couldn't even close his eyes without seeing her in that lake even though he hadn't really seen anything of significance. Thalia was so angry at him that if she needed to talk to him she would tell Annabeth and Annie would tell him even though he had heard her the first time. Annabeth thought it was a game, she knew nothing about the incident that she could have prevented if she had been playing with the flowers and not the butterflies, but Luke couldn't blame it on the little girl. He could only blame it on himself for being attracted to this beautiful girl that would never be his.  
Now all he could wish for was that she would be okay.  
"Thalia!" he screamed again. He jumped past a tree root and kept making his way up to her. He needed to get to her and soon. She had lost too much blood; she was so pail she already looked like one of the dead.  
She had heard him and her eyes opened up shocked. She was still on her knees and she looked exhausted. She coughed and blood came dribbling down her mouth. "I-I" She said trying to get to her feet.  
"Don't-"Luke said stumbling up the hill scrapping his hands and knees on the ground. His head and heart were pounding and it made it almost impossible to stay on his feet.  
She raised herself barely to her feet shaking. Then gasped and clutched at her stomach. Through gritted teeth stained red she said "Lu-Luke I-I love yo-"Then she gasped, her eyes shot open and she looked up to the sky.  
He reacted right after her when he got a hand on her arm. He looked up and blinding white light washed over him.  
He was blind and pain surged all the way through his body. His skin was peeling off of him. He couldn't move as his body contracted to the pain. He gritted his teeth tasting blood and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he was fly and also grounded at the exact same time. He screamed but it was like no one could hear his cries.  
He tried fighting the pain but it was something he couldn't defeat simply with force. His eyes rolled back into his skull and he let go of the little air trapped in his lounges. Right before black washed over him and he gave up life he thought he could feel and hear Thalia whisper in his ear.  
"I'll wait."

"THALIA!" Luke screamed jumping up to his feet. His head pounded and white spots danced in front of his eyes as his feet gave out from underneath him. He clutched at his head falling to his knees next to the infirmary bed he was laying on a second before.  
"L-Luke?" a shrill voice said. He looked up squinting still seeing white every time he blinked. Annabeth looked timidly down at him ten feet away. Her hair was clean like the clothes she wore. Her gray eyes stood out from her wavy blond hair that fell down her small shoulders. She looked younger then she really was.  
"Annie." He said taking his hands away from his head and opened his arms towards her. She ran into him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He squeezed her tightly and felt like if she wasn't holding him he would crack and shatter into a million pieces.  
Her tears dropped down on his neck and back. He shook and he tried holding his breath in. he struggled to keep from crying and falling apart. This little girl holding him shook as her small crying was the only sound in the white infirmary room. He needed to keep strong, at least for her. Part of him felt dead and the other half grounded and alive.  
Eventually she retracted from him and the second heart beat that hammered against his chest was gone. They had been hugging each other for so long that He couldn't even decipher hers from his in till now. She looked down at him standing and he was on his knees. "Come with me Luke." She said picking up his shaking hand.  
He got to his feet silently swallowing down all the emotion that washed over him. He had to keep the tears from spilling over, the shaking from making him fall down to the ground, every time he blinked he could see the horrible blinding white light he had seen right before it hit him and Thalia.  
He knew she was gone. He could just feel it. The part of him that had died is the part that loved her. His mother, his father and now his best friend were dead to him. He felt like he was all alone. The only thing he had left was this little girl that was leading out back to the woods.  
As they walked out of the infirmary and past the normal campers they all stopped what they were doing and stared at both of them like they were aliens. He felt as cold as they stared at him. His body ached and his skin was red as a layer of his skin had been peeled off when the white light had hit him. Ozone filled the air.  
They walked silently up the hill he had lost so much at. As they walked up the hill he could feel the presence of the campers staring at them from far behind. The path seemed to have less trees then he remembered scattered along the hill. Maybe he had imagined all the obstacles.  
But there was one tree that stood out from all the rest of them. A huge healthy pine grew at the very top glowing with gold from the sunlight that only spotted through the clouds to the tree. He knew for a fact that this one wasn't there when Thalia was fighting the monsters by herself. He winced. He should have been there the whole time by her side; but he wasn't and because of that choice she was gone. And this tree stood where she had now.  
He blinked and she was there standing at the top perfectly fine as if she was waiting for him. She smiled down at Annabeth and Luke who took there time walking up the hill. Her black hair blew away from her face and her blue eyes shined in the sunshine then she was gone. The tree stood there protecting everything in it's boundaries.  
As he got closer with Annabeth still leading him he could see something glittering in the sunlight. His sword sat stabbed into the ground at the foot of the giant trunk of the tree waiting for him to reclaim it.  
Annabeth freely walked over to the tree and sat at the very base of it like this was her favorite place in the world. He was staring at the tree shaking from fright. He gasped when Annabeth spoke ripping his eyes away from the magical tree to the little girl sitting beneath it. She patted the ground next to her "she's here." She sighed deeply looking out to the camp that he could see now because of the sun below. "I can feel her. Can't you?"  
He could feel Thalias presence pulling him closer to her, but he couldn't see her; only the tree that mocked him. His heart ached and skipped and he could almost see her holding his hand and pulling him up the hill to where Annabeth sat contently next to the tree. Thalia looked back and smiled at him like she had done so many times before. He could almost hear her say "Come on Luke. Gods sometimes you're so slow." She laughed at him and it echoed away like nothing as she disappeared like smoke from his eyes.  
Tears fell silently down his face and he stumbled across one of the roots of the tree and fell clutching at the trunk. His knees dug into the soft green grass that grew around the tree, his hands above his head trailing down the familiar ridges of trunk like he had known this tree all his life. Yet he had known her all his life, the part of his life that mattered at least. Thalia.  
He cried out screaming curses to the gods up in the sky. Tears flowed down his face and even after he had lost what little energy and Anger had been filling him up did he stop. He laid there thrown against the tree that was his only support for what seamed like hours. He was silent and grew calmer as time passed.  
A small little hand reached around and touched his shoulder. He looked back blurry eyed to find little Annabeth smiling at him with so much hope in her grey eyes. "She's not gone Luke. She still right here with us."  
She sat down next to him between a root of the tree and him. He turned around leaning against the trunk of the tree wiping away the tears. Annabeth yawned even though it was the middle of the day. She laid her head against his shoulder. "Family Luke. You promised." And with that she nodded off to sleep.  
He looked out down to the new place he could call home. People busied by down below and it seamed to have everything he could ever want except one thing that was torn away from him. His heart slowed as he listed to Annabeth's slow breaths. His eye lids got heavy and right before he closed them he looked over to his other shoulder.  
A spiky black haired girl smiled at him lazily. She pushed his shoulder lightly with hers. "Go to sleep Luke" She cooed. She held on to his arm then closed her electric blue eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder smiling contently.  
He closed his eyes for the last time feeling the slow breaths of the two girls lull him to sleep. They were the only family he had left. If only one of them wasn't gone…


	2. A Love Spell

"Silena! Drew took my favorite shirt again!"

"Yeah well you took my scarf so I'm taking your silk blouse for the day. It's not like you needed it anyways today."  
Drew and Lilly were both staring each other down like they were ready to fight each other but then again it was her siblings and they never did anything so violent afraid that they might break a nail or get there make up smeared in the process.  
Drew had her eyes lined with pink eyeliner to match lily's light pastel pink button down blouse that she had over a black tank top and a navy jean skirt and laced up heals. Lilly had her red hair up in a messy but appealing bun; she had a white tank top clearly a waiting to wear the pink blouse to finish it off with Drew's light sunlight yellow scarf and a pair of faded light blue jeans and sneakers. They both looked great like always but it just didn't appeal to Silena today.  
Silena sat on the ledge of the window looking out from her cabin to the camp that was getting ready for the dance that was to happen tonight. Silena and her cabin had convinced Mr.D and Chiron, with a little magic of course, to let them throw it hopping it would lighten everyone's moods in the ominous war that was to come no doubt by the end of the summer because Percy was finally about to turn sixteen. But as she looked out she found nothing but bickering from practically everyone, even her siblings who's voices rushed past her ears and awoke her from her almost sleep like state that kept her glued to the window and unmoving.  
"Will you two shut up for one minute!" She spun around from the window to look at her siblings who looked at her with wide eyes. She had never spoke to them with so much annoyance before, of course she had always kept it out of her voice before but it seamed the awful hate shadow that had covered everyone around camp had fallen on her also.  
Lilly and Drew had frozen in there positions looking up at her awkwardly. Lilly had been trying to pry her blouse off of Drew's back and Drew had been trying to tear her scarf away from Lily's throat in the process of choking her. After another glare from there eldest sibling and cabin leader they stopped what they were doing and straightened themselves acting live civil young women like they had been taught, and that there mother would have frowned upon if they ever acted like anything but, like they had been a few short seconds before.  
Finally Silena brought her attention back to the window. Michael Yew was fighting with his brother Will as they argued over what type of lights they would put over the amphitheater since that was where they were holding the dance. Pullux was fighting with two nymphs over the decorations, he wanted to put grape vines up but they probably wanted flowers or something like that. Two of Clarisse's siblings were fighting with two of Charley's siblings over where they should set up the tables and chairs. They weren't even at the Amphitheater and they were fighting over the silliest of things.  
Silena sighed again as her shoulders slumped. It was so odd to see everywhere she looked people fighting. Michael never fought with his siblings, and Will was too much of a sweet heart to argue with anyone. Pullux could usually be a push over if it wasn't worth fighting over like decorations, and the nymphs didn't like arguing because that lead to fighting and that lead to battle and they got enough of that during capture the flag every Friday when the campers came hurtling themselves into there trees knocking leaves and branches down. And Clarisse's siblings loved arguing but they usually never did it with the Hephaestus kids because they were too strong and they didn't fight over pathetic things like arguing over where tables should be set up. Something was wrong, and she needed to fix it.  
She jumped up from the ledge of the window smoothing down her camp T-shirt she had paired up with shorts, converse and a belt with her long black hair up in a pony tail. "Something's wrong out there." She said to her only two siblings in the cabin at the moment.  
Drew was helping Lilly find another shirt by looting through what looked to be Amanda's bunk, but she didn't pay attention to that at the moment either. Silena waited for a response in till Drew spoke "Of course something's wrong out there, it's a camp filled with barbarians that wouldn't know what courtesy was even if they were hit over the head with it."  
Silena always felt annoyance for Drew even though she was her sibling, probably her closest sibling next to Alex who was never at camp and running around with the hunters, but this time she felt like screaming and she only knew what ever spell was falling over camp was becoming worse.  
Through tight lips and a fake overly pushed smile Silena spoke again. "No, I mean there is seriously something wrong, like a spell that makes everyone argue." Lilly grabbed a green shirt and put it on as she and Drew walked over to the window near Silena and watched as people actually started to threaten each other with there weapons.  
"Oh that doesn't look good." Lilly said in her frail sweet voice that matched her quite but pretty personality. "Maybe they all ate something-"  
"No, you would see less people busing around threatening war if that was the reason, plus the nymphs don't mess things up like that in less the Hermes cabin has anything to do with it. I'm absolutely positive it's a spell."  
"You do know that we have no Hecate children here right?" Drew asked Silena like she was crazy which she was absolutely sure she wasn't.  
"As far as we know, they could be in the Hermes cabin right now unclaimed." Silena said back to Drew thinking about how horrible it would be to not know who your godly parent was but to be stuck there crammed together without a second thought, feeling unloved.  
Silena had a bit of sympathy for Luke who had her wrapped around his finger right at this very moment waiting for the next weekly checked in as his spy. She wanted to throw the little bracelet with the scythe on it out to sea or let it melt in the forges her boyfriend who was her main reason why she was a spy to Kronos worked at, to protect him from any harm like all the rest of the camp. She felt a bit of sympathy for Luke but her intense hatred came back and she had never felt so angry at anyone before, and she couldn't even tell Charley who she loved so much why she was so frustrated at times. She wasn't just angry at Luke, she was angry at herself falling prey for the beautiful but dangerous blond boy and endangering everyone at camp even further then they already were.  
"It is possible. The Stole brothers could be teaching who ever they are that everything from stealing to pranks is good, you know how persuasive they can be." Lilly said shrugging to both of her elder siblings but not by much.  
"I think it's time we pull out moms birthday present to me." Silena said as she watched Will and Michael pull out there bows and shooting at each other barely missing every time.  
"What present?" Drew and Lilly said at the exact same time.  
Silena went to her bunk and lifted one of the wood tiles underneath her bed where she hid her most special things there where her siblings couldn't get there hands on. She found a small box of chocolates her father had sent her for her birthday a month ago. a picture of Charley and her taken by one of the satyrs at the fireworks where Charley had asked her if she would go out with him after he had almost been eaten by cat sized aunts and one giant mechanical dragon. The scythe bracelet which she looked at disgusted and threw away from her in till she found the medium bag of pink powder her mother had sent her for her birthday by Hermes wind spirit express.  
She took it out and put the wood tile back perfectly into place like it hadn't been taken off in the first place. She stood up and sat down on her bed taking the note that was tied around the top of the bag with the pink ribbon. Drew and Lilly came over and sat on either side of her reading the note over her shoulder.

Dear Silena,  
I know I haven't always been a constant in your life but I want you to know you are turning into a beautiful young woman, even with everything you've been shouldering lately. I hope this bag will help you with creating a better day for everyone. It's very strong so only blow a little of it in a persons face and it will work. I hope this will help with the day that you choose to use it.  
Say hello to your father for me, I do miss him even if he doesn't miss me. Say hello to Charley, you two are so meant to be together. And don't ever forget what matters to you, my beautiful daughter.  
So much love,  
Mom

"How come you get cool presents and we don't?" Drew asked defensively. It wasn't like Silena had expected a bag of sparkly dust that she had no idea what it did or what to do with it to show up on her bed after a nice birthday date with Charley.  
"Well mom did send you that nice perfume at your last birthday, and she sent me that Lilly clip for mine." Lilly said to Drew with all honesty in her sweet voice. Drew and Lilly were complete opposites yet Silena loved them both.  
"Yeah well perfume and a clip isn't the same as a magical bag of sparkles, Hon." Drew said looking past Silena and glaring at Lilly.  
"It's not a magical bag of sparkles, or can't you read Drew?" Lilly said her sweetness becoming bitter. "Sometimes I think you're the reason why Aphrodite kids get a bad rep."  
"Oh I'm the reason Mrs. I'm so sweet I'll rot your teeth out with a stupid smile and batted eyelashes? If I'm the reason why were called stupid then you're the reason why were called teases." Drew bit back.  
"OH!" Lilly shrieked with her frail hands clutched together. Manicured nails pressed into flesh.  
Silena didn't understand how they could get so easily mad at each other but she could guess it was the spell that was ever raising even her temper at her bickering siblings. She looked down to the bag took a pinch since her mother had said that was enough to make it work and blew the sparkly pink powder on Lilly. Then she took some and blew some on Drew which the powder shimmered in the air and on to her where her angry expression faded and she smiled.  
Silena backed away from them and watched them suspiciously. They both sat next to each other smiling and taking in the powder. "So does it work?" Silena wasn't even sure what it did but hopefully it was some counter attack to the bickering.  
"It smells like sweet flowers." Lilly said still smelling the sparkles that shimmered in the sun that came through the window behind Silena. She giggled and Drew began to join her.  
"Oh Silena your so smart, and Lilly I totally agree with you Hon." Drew said getting up from sitting on Silena's bed. That was totally out of character for Drew; she never complemented anyone ever or agreed with them.  
They both looked totally back to normal, well a little happier but it was better then there bickering. Silena looked out the window and had found Will pinned to a tree by several arrows, Pullux was pelting the nymphs with grapes and the Ares kids were using the tables as shields as Charley's siblings rammed there table like a battering ram against the other kids.  
Silena spun around facing her own two siblings who were giggling and offering each other clothes to each other, which in any other situation they would never do. "Will you two help me spread this stuff around?"  
"Of course we would." Drew said smiling and offering one of her scarves to Silena who declined and then Drew offered one of her other ones.  
"Yeah, we would do anything for our favorite sister. God's your so pretty and smart Silena." Lilly said as she helped Drew try to pick out scarves for her. "I wish I could be half the woman as you when I get older." Lilly was only fifteen only a few years away from Silena but that didn't really matter at this time.  
"Okay then let's do this." Silena said and her siblings followed her out of the cabin, both with a scarf around there necks by now.  
When they walked out the door Silena quickly walked over to Michael and blew a pinch of dust into his face, then at his brother who was trying to pry the arrows lodged in the sides of his clothes that pinned him to a tree. Then she got Pullux and the nymphs who after a while started feeding each other grapes and then the Ares and Hephaestus kids who after getting hit and inhaling the sparkles helped each other try to wipe away the sparkles since neither liked something so frilly on them.  
"Oh how wonderful!" Lilly squealed.  
Silena ignored her and went over to the Amphitheater afraid of what she would find. Her siblings followed her but while they were going there Travis Stole ran by them laughing hysterically as Katie Gardner chased after him with a pair of hedge clippers in her hands. "Give me back my gloves you jerk!" She screamed.  
Silena knowing that no body should run with scissors in there hands, and especially if they were giant scissors ran after her with Drew and Lilly following. They found Travis cornered, his laughing had gone away and he looked terrified as a furious Katie looked like she was ready to impale him with her gardening sheers. "Don't kill me!" He yelled closing his eyes and shielding his face which he would have argued was his money maker with the ladies.  
"I'm not going to kill you; I'm going to slowly torture you for all of those pranks through out the years." She said dangerously low raising her clippers.  
Silena stepped forward but Lilly asked with so much enthusiasm in her voice if she could do it which Silena let her hesitant at first but then this was what she asked them to do for her in the first place. Before Silena could stop Lilly who had grabbed a handful of the powder and blew if forcefully in a cloud of pink and sparkles towards the two teenagers.  
Silena took in a little of the powder since she hadn't gotten any in the first place and she could feel how happy she felt, like everything was good in the world, giggly happy, not thinking about anything important. But she also knew how powerful this stuff was when the powder cloud disappeared and the three Aphrodite kids found Travis Stole and Katie Gardner, sword enemies making out heavily against the side of the big house.  
Drew said "Finally! I called this people; I called this so long ago." She spun around with her arms up like she was the reason that these two were kissing. "Joseph, Amanda and Lacy all owe me twenty drachmas now."  
"Oh my god's Drew, you were totally right. They totally make a cute couple!" Lilly said watching next to Silena who stared in pure horror at the power of the powder.  
Katie hated Travis, even more then his brother who was much more conceded then him. And now with glazed over eyes she had dropped her hedge clippers on the ground next to where Travis had dropped the gloves he had taken from her and she was pressed against him both hands running through his curley brown hair, his hand ran up her leg that was up at his waist and his other hand was running along the back of her hair taking her brown hair out of it's pony tail.  
They kissed each other with greed in both sides; Silena averted her eyes when she saw tongue pass between them both. They looked ready to take this to the bedroom and that just made Silena even more terrified if she should just give up with this magic powder idea and let people kill each other instead of impregnating every camper girl who was older then fifteen. Chiron would be very upset with Silena if he found more then thirty baby's born in no more then nine months at the same time.  
"What do you mean I'm a seaweed Brain?" Percy yelled behind Silena. She turned towards him and found him chasing Annabeth who didn't look too pleased with him like everyone else around this camp.  
"God's your so obtuse sometimes!" Annabeth screamed back at him. Her hand was reaching towards her knife she kept at her side. Silena couldn't in any reality believe Annabeth would attack Percy. After all she did have a unbelievable crush on him that she had only ever told Silena about, worried about these weird feelings she felt and Silena helped her sort them out to a very, very serious crush on him that she wouldn't believe is true denying them.  
"I'm obtuse? Sometimes you're so in your own little world you don't even notice the obvious in front of you." Percy said back at her with crossed arms. She screamed and lunged at him. Percy was so quick he dodged her and he willed the water fountain next to the big house to burst water out. She swung her blade at him but he made the water around him into a shield.  
Silena debated weather she should blow just a pinch, just a pinch unlike the handful like Lilly had done with Katie and Travis who were still so engrossed in each other, to Annabeth and Percy since it had worked with everyone else. Then she looked behind her and Katie was the one against the wall of the big house as Travis kissed her down her throat and she whispered his name like she loved him, which Silena knew wasn't true, it was only lust from the powder. She decided she might as well try.  
She walked around Annabeth who wasn't paying attention to anyone but Percy who she was trying to kill. Silena pinched a little bit of the powder and blew it at Annabeth who smelled it and she got this lazy look in her eyes as her arm that held her blade fell to her side. When Percy realized Annabeth wasn't attacking him he dropped his water shield, Silena blew some powder into his face and he got back his bright sea green eyes to shine again and a happy smile he always had.  
"Oh my god's Seaweed brain, are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" Annabeth asked clearly concerned as she remembered she had been trying to kill him with her blade only a few minutes ago.  
"No, I'm okay wise girl. I think Silena helped with that." Percy said smiling back at her bright smile. They both looked at Silena and Silena felt really glad that they were almost back to normal, even though there normal was a bit less sweet then how they were acting towards each other right now.  
"What is going on?" Annabeth asked with her grey eyes shinning clear wanting for answers to something she didn't understand. Silena found herself explaining to the two demigods Hero's that there was some spell or curse over camp half blood that was forcing people into fighting and that she was using this special love powder to try to stop them from killing each other. They took it rather well, like this was normal which it probably was for them at least.  
"Okay it's fair to say we need to stop this." Annabeth said. "And you were on the right track on doing it, well except with poor Katie and Travis over there."  
Silena almost forgot about them. When she turned around she found Drew and Lilly giggling like school girls as Travis started to unbutton Katie's plaid shirt as he kissed farther down her throat and she had her legs around his waist up against the wall as her hands went through his curls and she moaned whispering his name. Now they looked like they were going to have sex in the middle of the day, out in the open against the big house where Chiron or Mr.D would find them and they would be forced to wear chastity belts and beeper collars for the rest of the summer that told either of the leaders of Camp half-blood that they were at least a hundred yards away from each other at all times for there offense that really wasn't there fault.  
"Don't just stand there! Keep them away from each other!" Silena yelled at her siblings who realized that they were probably suppose to be doing something about the Tratie situation. Annabeth helped Silena who grabbed Travis and Drew and Lilly grabbed Katie and they pulled the two love birds away from each other.  
Travis was strong for such a skinny kid; he strained away from Silena and Annabeth who tried really hard to keep him away from Katie who also was pulling against the two Aphrodite girls holding her back. Demeter children may have looked as delicate as flowers but they weren't, they were meant for heavy plowing on a farm. Katie pulled against Drew and Lilly who didn't look like they were having fun holding her back as she slowly made her way dragging them towards Travis who was still straining against Silena and Annabeth. Then a splash of heavy water hit all of them and everything changed.  
Travis stopped pulling against Silena and Annabeth, Katie stopped to sending both Drew and Lilly falling on there butts since they had been at an angle before with there shoes digging into the dirt. "Oh my gods, you did not just do that!" Drew screamed as she looked at her hair that was wet like her clothes.  
Percy smiled and looked perfectly smug about fixing the Tratie situation. Katie had a hand up to her head rubbing it as she smacked her lips together. "Why do I taste like stale cheese balls?" She made a face as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth.  
Everyone looked to Travis who smiled sheepishly. Then Katie followed there gazes, she looked at her half open shirt that showed off a bit of her bra, then she felt at the several hickies going up her neck and that's when she connected the dots. "OH MY GODS! I did not just make out with TRAVIS FREAKING STOLE!"  
"Yeah, well it's not like I wanted to make out with a dirt eating plant girl!" Travis yelled at her, for a second Silena actually thought she might have to dose them up with the love potion again but thought better of it.  
"I don't eat dirt!" She yelled at him. "Argh! Travis Stole you are the most annoying person I know. I can't believe I actually let you kiss me."  
"I bet that's the first and the last time." He muttered.  
"Argh! Stay away from me, all of you." Then she marched back to her cabin muttering and spitting like she could still taste Travis, she buttoned up her plaid shirt too as she went and tied up her brown hair. Silena couldn't blame her for being so upset at everyone. She was usually a very nice cheery girl; in less you put the Stoll's in the situation.  
"You know what, she's lucky to have me kissing her because no one else would." Travis said with his nose up in the air and his arms crossed. He hated to admit it but he liked her a lot. Connor had practically came begging on his knees to Silena and her siblings if they would get Travis and Katie together just so he wouldn't have to hear his brother talk about her anymore. Silena didn't like meddling in love like that, unlike her siblings who did. And Travis also hated to admit it or see that Katie was really pretty and she got offers to go on dates all the time while he just charmed a girl then got rid of her after the conversation was dead.  
"Well lover boy, we need your help so come on." Annabeth said as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along back into the direction of the amphitheater.  
Silena followed right behind her as her sister grumbled about being all wet and Percy smiled coolly like he always did, never a worry in the world in till the whole world was being burned down in front of your face right then and there.  
"What's wrong?" Travis asked as he stumbled awkwardly as Annabeth kept a good grip around his wrist. She explained to him about the curse or spell being put over everyone. "Oh so that explains why Connor wanted to strangle me in my sleep when all I was doing was sleeping and Katie wanted to skin me alive when I had taken her gloves, which I do practically everyday in till she chases me down and I hand them back to her. Well in till you guys came along and we ended up almost future parents." He shuddered.  
"Yeah sorry about that, Lilly got a little carried away with the powder." Silena said ringing out the bottom of her shirt as she kept up with them. She glanced behind her and saw Drew who was desperately trying to fix her wet hair and Lilly who had pulled out her compact and was using the mirror to fix her makeup. At this point Silena could careless what she looked like and more about the rest of the camp.  
They reached the amphitheater and you would have thought the apocalypse had come early this year. People were everywhere fighting each other with there weapons, things were on fire, people were screaming running around franticly with some body part that was bleeding. There were two sides of campers behind stacked tables as shields and they pelted each other with what ever was on hand, Arrows, fruit from bowls, little chocolate kisses, punch cups. A few kids were using the streamers that were supposed to be hung up to strangle each other.  
Silena felt very faint all of a sudden. She had tried too hard to make this a great fun night for everyone but now it was literally going to Hades. Just then Connor Stoll on a Pegasus, Porkpie to be exact, had a satchel of what looked to be water balloons filled with something red in them came flying over the whole scene. "You want to punch! I'll give you punch!" He grabbed the water balloons in his hands and threw them down at people who hadn't even given him the time of day to look up from killing each other. People screamed as they were soaked with punch, well they screamed anyways even if they weren't hit with flying beverages from hell.  
Just then she felt very light headed and she must have fainted because when she woke up Annabeth and Percy were looking down at her from both sides on the ground. She was desperately holding on to the bag of sparkly magic powder and she could tell she must have been hit with water again from Percy who looked sheepish when she pushed a strand of soaking black hair out of her face.  
"Come on, we can fix this." Annabeth said as she helped Silena back to her feet. "So what do we need to do?" Silena looked past Annabeth's determined face and to Travis who was trying to get his brother off of poor Porkpie who was probably stolen from his stable where Silena had left him a giant bag of carrots and a few sugar cubes earlier in the morning when she does her normal check up on them. Drew and Lilly were standing to the side of all the maniacs and were grudgingly helping each other with there appearances still wet; at least they weren't fighting or acting like zombie school girls. "Silena, are you sure your okay?" Annabeth pulled Silena back to focus on her face.  
"Yeah I'm fine." She shook her head and blinked a few times to get back her head. "Okay, so you take a pinch of this powder; just a pinch or it will end like Katie and Travis. Then you blow it in there face, when they breath it in they'll stop fighting. Is that clear? Silena looked between Percy and Annabeth.  
"Right, give us a handful of it and we can put it in our pockets and run around quicker to everyone." Annabeth said smiling at Percy who was smiling coolly like this was perfect normal.  
"This should be pretty easy." Percy said as he grabbed a handful of the powder in the bag Silena was holding, he stuck the stuff in his pocket, Annabeth did the same in till both of them had two full pockets. "So, just a pinch right?"  
"Yes, seaweed brain, just a pinch and no more." Annabeth said turning around with a hand on her hip and smiling at him and shaking her head.  
"Okay, I was just checking." Percy had his hands up in surrender but his smile never faded from his face. Silena couldn't help but feel really happy that they had each other even if they wouldn't admit how much they liked each other.  
They ran into the crowd of chaotic campers without a fear that was creeping over Silena. She looked around and found her siblings who were still too involved in themselves to care about the problem at hand. Silena walked over to them and handed them both a handful of the powder to there surprise since they both were not expecting work but rather something to help with there appearance. "A pinch, just a pinch, now go." And then they grumbled to each other glaring at Silena for making them work as they went off to everyone else in the camp that wasn't already in the mini battle in the Amphitheater.  
And with that she went running with the bag that was halfway gone towards Travis who had lassoed Porkpie who was trying to fly away as Connor pelted his brother with water balloons. "Die! Why won't you die already?" Connor screamed still pelting Travis who was holding on to the rope at the top of the carved into stone risers.  
Silena put her hands up so she could face Porkpie who was terrified by now. She always had a way with horses, specifically flying horses, but she could always use her charm on Chiron even if he was always harder to convince to do something since sugar cubes weren't his weak spot like the rest of the Pegasus's. "Whoa Porkpie! Calm down, if you come down I'll put three extra apples in your oats tonight." He had wild eyes but who wouldn't when Connor Stoll was controlling you. "Come on, come on down." He started to calm down and his wings fluttered as they descended to the ground.  
"Never!" Connor yelled as he grabbed a water balloon and threw it at her. She has never been great at fighting or dodging things, she was more of a pacifist and preferred peace, using her wits and charm rather then brutal strength. Another reason why Luke had probably picked her as his spy, she was convincing and believable.  
The red balloon hit her right in the chest where she fell onto the steps of the amphitheater. She looked down and her orange shirt was now covered in dark red, she was all sticky up her neck and arms and now she embraced the anger she had felt since this morning. She hated feeling angry since it was a horrible feeling opposing Love but just this once she took it up and rushed Connor on Porkpie who was low enough for her to jump on and attack him.  
She hit the surprised Connor in the mouth with her elbow where he went tumbling off of Porkpie who was still frightened and had decided to rise again into the air, his wings flapping and almost knocking her off like Connor who Travis was trying to pacify. She swung her leg over bareback on a Pegasus which should never be done in less you were a professional like her and Percy. She stoked porkpie's mane soothingly and he huffed as she felt his strong heart beat slow, his wings fluttering as they descended again back to the ground.  
"Travis, the powder!" Silena yelled down. He looked up at her as his brother was trying to get away from him, he grabbed Connors shirt and dragged him with him as he grabbed Silena's bag and threw it up to her where she caught it and put it in the satchel that Connor had been using to put his water balloons with a extra punch to them in it. She nudged Porkpie with the heal of her shoes and they lifted into the air. Porkpies wings sailed smoothly through the air, one of his specialties. He is the smoothest flyer out of all the other Pegasus's, always paying attention to his flyer and there movements so he can accommodate them.  
She looked down at all of the campers. There were several fires as masses of people just fought around them. She barely made out Percy and Annabeth who were slowly even though they were going as fast as they could calming people with the magic powder they had in there pockets.  
As she looked around she could make out all the people she knew. Her siblings who were pulling hair and using there nails, practically everyone was here fighting. She could even make out Juniper and Grover who were just arguing over what looked to be the way a shrub should be cut. But there were two people who she knew if there was a giant fight like this would there right now, not missing. Chris and Clarisse were missing.  
She guided Porkpie by tugging on the sides of his mane lightly and he complied. She grabbed a handful of the powder and they went diving down right above the heads of the campers. She slowly let the pink powder slip through her fingers as it spread around to the campers and they dropped what they were fighting with or who they were fighting and began to lazily smile. She circled the mass of people several times making sure the majority of them had gotten the dosage needed, Annabeth and Percy could take care of the stragglers that didn't have enough.  
Then she went flying away looking back at the mass of people who began to realize what a mess they had made and helped each other clean up, distinguish the roaring flames and clean up each others wounds like a giant family which in someway there all were.  
She went flying towards over the mess hall where she stopped the harpies from eating each other. Then the cabins where Pullux was still feeding the nymphs grapes. Then the arena, which by contrary belief had nobody, trying to kill anyone. Then the armory where she found no one, not even Charlie who was preparing something secretive and that she tried to stay away knowing if she knew then Luke would have to know. Then the stables which only had blackjack who had escaped his very cushy stable that was probably nicer then her cabin. Then the strawberry fields where she found Katie Gardner alone as she tried to relax over picking and preening the fruits and getting over Travis who had seriously upset her.  
She went flying towards the big house wondering if that was where Chris and Clarisse were but when she only found Chiron and Mr.D arguing over a game of go fish saying that one of them must have cheated, Silena had no idea how anyone could cheat at go fish or would want to. She calmed them down like all the other using the powder that was almost officially gone.  
She flew over the Amphitheater that was almost cleaned up but the battle was pretty obvious, People who were seriously hurt were making there way to the infirmary in the big house. Percy with the naiads were putting out the fires but she looked again flying above and didn't find Charley, Chris or Clarisse.  
Suspicion had fallen over her and she was now officially over the top worried. She loved Charley to death, she loved him more then life it's self. And she loved Clarisse like her very own sister, a biological sister not just a half sibling like Drew and Lilly. And she loved Chris with the same devotion she had to Clarisse since they were practically the three musketeers together.  
She could only think of one other place they could be which was a place Silena didn't like visiting since it reminded her that Luke picked her as his spy not just because she was charming but because she reminded him of the girl he had always been in love with.  
At first before Charley she had thought Luke loved her with the way he looked at her but after realizing after a while that when she had snuck up on him to have a picnic at _her_ tree she would find him talking to it, or rather _her_. Then he left and she was scared of him not wanting to help him but his threats against Charley won her over so she could protect him to the cost of the camp. And then Thalia appeared and Silena felt very bitter towards her knowing that because Silena had blue eyes and black hair reminded Luke of Thalia. If she hadn't looked like that maybe she wouldn't have been singled out and used as Luke's spy. But after seeing how sad the girl who was her competition once was, how much in her eyes she knew she didn't belong and that she would be better off dead or back into her tree Silena had warmed up to her to the point checking up on her when no one else would afraid that she really would kill herself. They hardly ever talked in till she left with Annabeth to a boarding school and eventually after confronting Luke and killing him supposedly, became a huntress. Something Silena respected and was terrified of Thalia for since she could see in those broken blue eyes of her that she had loved Luke back and that it practically destroyed her to do it. But he was back and he got easily angry at Silena because of his anger towards Thalia who had broken his heart also. Now he was Kronos and it didn't matter because they were all going to die in less they bowed to Kronos and became his servant or you were Silena and Charley who were already protected by her services to him. She was as much a traitor to her mother and family as Luke is to Thalia and Annabeth.  
Porkpie flew up to Thalias pine tree and she could almost see Luke leaning against it with a old leather book in his hand and his other one rubbing up against the trunk of the tree as he told it, told her, his day and Annabeth's the way Silena had seen so many times before but never had understood in till he left and everything clicked. Now as she blinked that old image away from her eyes she could see two figures talking or rather laughing rolling around at the base of the tree keeping there distance away from Peleus who was guarding the fleece like he was trained to do. Porkpie's hooves hit the ground and they went galloping up the hill.  
As they got closer the two people she could see were Chris and Clarisse and they also hadn't seen Silena at all either through tear filled eyes and laughing filled ears. Silena didn't know what they were laughing so hysterically over but she had a hunch and she didn't like it. She demounted Porkpie and let him graze on the grass as he kept his distance from Peleus who was now eyeing him like a snack.  
She marched right up to the two love birds who were laughing together crying because there stomachs hurt so much. "What did my two favorite crooks do this time?" She had her hands on her hips looking down at them.  
They slowly opened there eyes as there laughter died down. "Oh hey princess." Clarisse said as she moved her upper body on to her elbows to look at Silena's stern face. "What's the matter with you? Break a nail or something?" She mocked and Chris just snickered.  
"No but why are you laughing?" She knew exactly why they were laughing and she didn't find it amusing at all.  
"Ha! Those nerds down there! There all fighting each other and they don't even realize that we-"Chris began before Clarisse hit him in the ribs hard. There relationship was interesting even though it had taken most of the summer to get them officially together and a lot of stress for Silena who was almost bald from pulling her hair out from there stubbornness.  
"What was that Chris?" Silena asked coyly.  
Clarisse glared at him and he said very quietly and quickly. "Nothing."  
"Oh cut the Minotaur dung, I know you enchanted the whole camp to kill each other. You might as well confess." She glared down at them with everything she had. Clarisse would never admit it but Silena was the dominant of there friendship. She always got what she wanted with no help from force but rather cunning skills.  
Clarisse sat up and sighed heavily. "Okay fine. Yes princess, we enchanted the whole camp using a fun birthday spell Ares had given me for my sixteenth but it's only because you forced us to."  
"How did I force you to exactly?" Silena could feel the blood rushing to her face.  
"A dance, are you freaking serious? That is like the worst idea I have ever heard, especially since were in the middle of a war." Clarisse said stubbornly.  
"I think I would rather hammer a bunch of nails through my head then be forced to go to a dance." Chris said as he grabbed Clarisse's hand, that was the most affection they ever showed to each other when people were around including the person who had gotten them together in the first place.  
"Dido." Clarisse muttered.  
"I'm not forcing you to do anything! I never said anyone had to go if they didn't want to. You're just over reacting, and killing people just because you didn't want to go to a dance isn't very nice."  
"They won't kill each other." Clarisse said with her eyes rolling.  
"I could beg to differ. Will was almost impaled by an arrow from his very own brother! Katie almost cut Travis up into little pieces and fed him to Connor, well in till I stopped them. Annabeth almost killed Percy, someone she loves more then anyone else!"  
"Wait Prissy almost died?" Clarisse's normal good natured smile turned into a horrible grin that reached from ear to ear. "Man, I wish I had more of that spell now cuz then I could watch dear Annie cut her pretty boyfriend up. Now I'd pay for that." She shook her head like she could almost see Annabeth fight Percy. "Eh, too bad we need him for this war that I've been preparing for over the whole year and he's done practically nothing thinking everything going to be fine when it's not."  
"Yeah, well I stopped her. I stopped everyone, so Ha!" She laughed in Clarisse's face.  
"Oh I know. We were watching the whole thing from up here." She motioned and Silena turned around and she could see the whole camp from the top of the hill. She could see people cleaning up the amphitheater like ants. She could also see the beautiful valley and there was another thing she hated about being up here. Luke while talking to the love of his life even got a good sight for a perfect sunrise and sunset in the azure sky. He doesn't disserve that.  
"It was actually pretty cool how you took out one of the Stoll's from that Pegasus, damn girl I didn't know you had a wild side." Chris teased.  
"Yeah, even if you're stupid Love spell stopped our ingenious plan." Begrudgingly Clarisse said as she stood up and nudged Silena lovingly like a best friend which they were.  
A love spell was a good way to put the powder that stopped all the bickering. "Hmm yeah, well you better help me fix the mess you started or I'll get Mr.D to make you rub his back for the rest of your mortal lives."  
Chris shuttered and Silena knew that he had to rub sun tanning oil on the old god for penitence since he had been saved from madness and was once a traitor. Silena disserved to help with that but the difference was he had a change of heart and changed but she could never leave Luke's cold influence in less she wanted to find Charley missing and eventually- She was choking up and she couldn't afford to do that ever.  
"Whatever." Clarisse grumbled and pulled Chris along with her down the hill, they were still holding hands. Silena found it sweet even though most of the campers found it unnatural.  
She mounted porkpie and they went soaring over camp back to his stables where she had promised she would give him his apples and maybe a few extra sugar cubes since he had helped her more then what she had intended.

There was a knock on the door which caught Silena's attention. She looked up from the picture she had in her hands to the person standing in the doorway of her cabin. He was wearing a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his massive biceps, nice black slacks with his shirt tucked messily in, two buttons at the top of his shirt was open showing off his throat and a little of his strong chest. Charley smiled at her like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole world to him.  
"Hey there beautiful."  
"Hey there tall dark and handsome." She said as they moved towards each other and he picked her up in there hug and spun her around a few times with there laughter ringing out in her now empty cabin. "Where were you today?" She asked him.  
"It's a secret, shh." He whispered to her. "But I heard what you did today even though I missed most of it. That's my girl." He had a finger under her chin and she looked into his warm comforting eyes.  
She blushed. "Yeah well it's all in a day's work of an Aphrodite child I guess." She moved away from him to her mirror to check that she looked good. She was wearing a simple black dress that only had one shoulder and was slit up one side, her hair was in a bun and had two strands of hair on either side curled, her eyes were lined perfectly with intriguing black eyeliner and mascara and her lips were nice and pink like strawberries.  
"You look more then perfect." He said moving behind her and she looked at his refection. She knew that charley didn't care about her because she reminded him of another girl but because she was his only girl, his only love and he was hers. She smiled at him and then he pulled a box from his slacks that looked like they had never been worn before. "I made you something."  
He opened the box and there was a tiny pink glass heart necklace that was shimmering from within like it was holding something, in fact the heart was a vial and it was pink because of the sparkly pink powder it held. "Where did you-?" She looked at him holding the glass heart vial in her hand.  
"Annabeth told me about today and I had enough free time to finish it before I came to pick you up. She even gave me what little love spell powder that was left in Percy and her pockets. There was just enough to put in after I picked out all the dust balls in it from I'm guessing Percy's pockets." He chuckled and she her heart was hammering in a way that Luke could never make her feel.  
He pulled the necklace out of its hand carved box and put the chain around her neck. He latched it and it fell right on her throat shinning nicely. She touched it and she couldn't help but feel choked up.  
"Oh Charlie, it's beautiful. Thank you." She hugged him, which was harder then it sounded since he was at least a foot taller then her and she had to stand on his toes and he had to lean down to do so.  
"Only for the best girlfriend in the world. I love you Silena and I always will." He whispered to her and she was now officially crying.  
"I love you too charley." She sobbed wiping away the mascara that she hadn't prepared to put on waterproof as it flowed down her cheeks. "I love you so much you don't know how much."  
After they broke apart he took her hand in his. "Come on let's go enjoy ourselves."  
And they went to the dance that looked spectacular even though it had been a fright fest that morning and they only had a few hours to fix it. Everyone was in nice clothes, The guys in multicolored button down shirts and black slacks and maybe a tie, the girls in flirty dresses, there makeup done up with there hair.  
Clarisse and Chris were forced to stand at the front of the entrances taking pictures with grimaces on there faces but they eventually got over it when they slipped away from there punishment when Silena pulled the couple into the dance floor with her and they actually looked happy and like they were having fun. Both of them in nice shirts and slacks but Silena was glad she could get them to look this nice at all.  
Annabeth and Percy had gone together as friends meeting up with Grover and Juniper who were having fun as a group. Connor had gotten himself a date like the rest of the guys from his cabins including Travis who had apparently stolen some of Silena's love spell earlier with a slide of his hand when he threw it up to her when she was riding Porkpie. Katie was now drugged heavily with the love spell and she was dancing with Travis with a dazed looked on her face. Silena didn't see the harm in letting him enjoy a night with her since she probably would have stayed back at her cabin if he hadn't, he wasn't forcing her to do anything bad yet, and by tomorrow when she woke up and realized that he had drugged her with the spell they would be rid of a Stole, one down one to go.  
The lights flashed and the Apollo kids enjoyed there DJing time putting on music that every one would like. Even Mr.D looked like he was enjoying it since he was almost smiling and was sipping on coke in a punch cup. Chiron danced with Annabeth like a father and daughter dance in till Percy cut in and they went spinning off laughing together and Chiron smiled after them. The lights flashed brightly setting off colors everywhere; you could even see the pink sparkles that still covered everyone and everything there under the flashing lights.  
It was more then perfect as Silena danced with her friends at the fast beat songs and danced with Charley knowing he was only hers for the slow songs. Silena forgot about everything that was on her shoulders for that night like she had planed in the first place.  
All you needed was a dance, friends and a love spell to make it a perfect night.


	3. A Change to Remember

The storm outside crashed dangerously as a flash of lightning hit right as the thunder boomed. Thalia looked up as the rain pelted her and she knew something bad was going to happen. She quickly ushered her Huntresses into the cabin as Percy did the same with the other campers.

"You can't stop this?" Percy yelled wiping away the water that was stinging his skin and that he couldn't seem to control for some odd reason.

The wind blew through Thalias hair whipping it around as the wet ragged locks whipped across her fair skin leaving stinging marks. She had barely heard Percy "No. I don't know what's wrong."

"It's your father." Nico suddenly showed up in a flash of lightning standing right next to her. "It's always your father."

"Yeah well it's not like yours doesn't have a temper either." Thalia bit back at her younger cousin. She felt the sky, the electric sparks in the air and it scared her because it reminded her of the worst day of her life.

"I can accept that, but he can usually control it unlike yours." Nico bit back. He was especially angry today. Persephone had kicked him out of underworld for a week just because she could and now he had to find somewhere to stay. It didn't help that there was this storm going and he had to let his frustration out somewhere.

They heard a scream out past the forest and then they all went running towards the sound that had barely carried with the violent wind. "Hurry!" Percy yelled. He didn't care about how Nico was extra bitter today and that Thalia was so easily moody, they just needed to make sure everyone in camp was safe.

They followed the sound trying not to trip and slip on the mud. Then they saw the giant waves as it took two people into the waves. Thalia stopped in horror as she realized who had been swept away to sea. She rushed forward "JASON! HAZEL!" She stopped right before the waves crashed at her feet, it tried to grab at her but she jumped away using the winds. Water was bad; Water had nearly killed her more times than the monsters.

Nico felt something within himself that was breaking again. He didn't even realize who had been taken by the sea in till Thalia screamed their names. He couldn't go into the water to save his sister; he had learned that the hard way. He was going to lose his sister, again. He felt a tear escape him but it wasn't noticed by the others as the rain still pelted them.

"Save them!" Thalia screamed at Percy, unable to do it herself. He saw how scared his cousins were and how helpless too. Without hesitation he jumped into the water. He sped through the crashing water that even he couldn't fully control. He stopped as he felt the water and then suddenly he knew where Hazel was.

She was knocked out floating in the water as the waves took over her body and pushed her down to the mucky bottom. He felt the water as he commanded it to speed him forward. Before he knew it he had her in his arms, her brown hair floating around her deathly pale face.

He felt the water again like sonar and then he felt Jason farther out in the sea fighting the water. Percy carried Hazel threw the water as he sped towards Jason who was barely keeping above the water as it tried to drown him. Percy grabbed Jason's hand but a giant wave crashed over both of them swirling Jason in the water where he crashed into a rock and began to sink. Percy quickly grabbed him and sped forward feeling both of their weight slowing him down.

Finally he let the last wave take them and they went with it as it crashed on to the sand leaving an exhausted Percy and two unconscious big three kids. Thalia and Nico rushed up to their sibling lying on the ground.

Jason had a nasty bump on his head that was trickling a few drops of blood that was quickly washed away with the bitter rain. Thalia felt his heart and his breath and he was fine, she didn't worry about the crack on the head. He had done worse.

She rushed up next to Nico as full tears streamed down his cheeks and Thalia tried not to notice. She felt Hazel's heart and it wasn't beating and that's when she went into survival mode. She pinched Hazel's nose, "What are you doing?!" Nico yelled right before Thalia placed her mouth on Hazels and stopped Nico from hitting her away from his unconscious sister.

There was something so odd about it that Nico couldn't help but stair. Thalia leaned back placed her laced together hands over Hazel's heart and pumped. "One. Two. Three." Thalia said before she placed her lips back to Hazels blowing air into the small girl. Thalia had seen enough girls almost die because of someone's father and his element. She had learned this simple technic from Luke after he had saved her enough times using it.

Finally Hazel came to life as she sputtered the water out of her system and took a large gasp. "What happened?" She asked shakily.

Thalia smiled down at her. "Your fine now. Come on lets-"

Nico pushed Thalia out of the way as he leaned over Hazel. "What happened? Why were you out with Jason near the water? You know that-"

Thalia grabbed him and pulled him away from Hazel. "She just nearly drowned you idiot. She's hurt and confused and clearly can't answer your questions. So leave her alone."

Nico growled. He was sick of people thinking they could tell him what to do. "She's MY sister, not yours. I'll take care of her the way I want to!"

She looked down on him; he was tall but still shorter by maybe a few inches. "Spoken like a true child."

He growled again and Percy who had been laying face first in the wet sand looked and saw how Nico seamed to control the dark that the clouds had made and began to take him over. Thalia had blue sparks flying off of her as it seemed the clouds got darker if that was possible. Just then this all started to piss him off too. They didn't seem to care if he died, or was hurt in any way. The waves of the water hit against the shore harder and seeped up around his soppy dirty body as he ordered it.

"If you guys don't mind. There's a freaking storm happening right now!" He yelled as he got to his feet on the soft sand as the wind tried to blow him down. The water pelted him and he was more than annoyed that it wouldn't cease or even lighten up.

Nico turned to look at Percy, his dark hair falling and sticking to his face as the water flowed down. "Stay out of this."

"What are you talking about? He's never been able to EVER stay out of anything." Thalia bit back as she glared at Percy and Nico. "He thinks he's a god's damn god or something that he always has to be the hero."

"Oh that's rich, Thals. Real rich coming from you." Percy said as the water came flowing around his feet more.

She moved forward grabbing his shirt. There was something in her eyes that said Percy had crossed a line, something that was shattered and would never be able to repair. "Don't you ever call me that."

Nico pushed her away from Percy where she stumbled back to where the water hit her feet but she didn't seem to notice. "Don't touch him." Nico would always be protective of Percy, even if he hated him because of what his heart felt.

"Oh-"Thalia began right before the water wrapped around her feet and with a mind of its own yanked her where she fell on the sand. Both Nico and Percy watched in horror as there cousin was literally eaten by the giant wave that crashed on her and she was gone when it receded.

Jason was awake by then and the first thing he saw was of his sister being taken by the waves like Hazel and he had been. Jason had been chasing Hazel who had gone down to the shore to get something but right when he reached her they watched as the huge waves became more agitated and as one huge wave went crashing on both of them right after Hazel screamed. Now his sister was gone.

Percy ran forward thrusting his hands out where the wave that had come crashing on shore wrapped around him and pulled him into the sea. He dove under breathing hard as the thin layer of air around him was hard to keep. Then he saw Thalia in the dark water. She was thrashing and screaming and all together doing exactly what you're not supposed to do when you're carried out to sea. But he also was caught off guard as the water seamed to attack her, way more than her brother or even hazel.

He swam towards her but right as he was about to grab her hand the water wrapped around him and pulled him away. This shocked him since he had always been able to control the water. He pushed against the water and still it wouldn't let him reach her. He watched in horror as the last air in her lungs was pushed out and her electric blue eyes began to shut. That's when he pushed and forced the water to comply.

He swam and swam down past the seaweed that had begun to wrap around her and soak her into the ground. He ripped the seaweed away from her almost dead form and pulled her away from the seaweed that still tried to eat her. She was limp and cold and clearly out of her element so he did the only thing he could think of, he kissed her.

He blew the air layer into her mouth right before he made the air in the water wrap around them in a bubble. The last time he had done this was with Annabeth and he actually felt really dirty doing it with his cousin. She leaned away from him and sputtered up the water in her system which wasn't much. Then her eyes regained their color, maybe just a little greyer then usual and they landed on him and how he was holding her against him. One hand on the mid of her back the other on her neck.

"Please tell me you did that out of necessity and not because you wanted to kiss a hunter." Percy was pail and wet, and his heart was speeding like a jack rabbit that she could feel since she was forcefully pressed against him. She could understand why Annabeth liked him, if only for his body.

"Gross. Please don't ever say that again." He shuttered and she chuckled.

"You would be surprised how many times I've been kissed since I've become a huntress." She said as Percy held her hand and they both with their other one sped the bubble up to the surface. Thalia raised the air around them where it belonged, and Percy forced the water to carry it up and make way for them.

"Wait doesn't that break your oath? Wouldn't Artemis-"He began looking at her for a second before looking back up at the surface that was hard to see because of the storm.

"The only way I can break my oath is if some power hungry asshole is able to take me over, and I absolutely can't save myself, and decides to have his way with me. Or if I fall I in love and decide to lose my virginity which isn't likely." He reddened at this and Thalia had to remember that even if he was a hero he was still naïve to the fact of man not monster. "Let's just say power hungry gods or monsters think it's funny to try to break a huntress's oath, like some sort of sick game. Usually they get a kiss or two before we end up breaking their nose or something much more precious that makes it so they can't have kids for a while."

He gulped feeling scared for his life as he held her hand and tried desperately to wash all memory of their 'kiss' from his mind, even though he could still feel the way his lips tingled in a strange sensation that was very different from the way Annabeth's kisses left him. He somehow found another reason why Luke was obsessed with his cousin; she made him feel powerful both mentally and physically with her touch.

They finally broke through to the sky where Thalia gasped in the fresh air. Water still pelted both of them and with both of them they made it to the sand where they noticed for the first time that Nico was on the ground knocked out and Jason was too as Hazel tried to wake both of them up as she had carried both of their large figures from the waves so they wouldn't end up like Thalia had.

They exhaustedly crawled through the sand to Hazel, her beautiful brown hair sticking to her face with muck stuck in it. Thalia breathed hard as she looked over Jason and then Nico, she was the only one here who knew anything about healing. "What- Happened?" She asked Hazel.

Hazel was deathly pail like Thalia, after nearly being drowned that can usually do it to you. "Jason tried going after you two, but Nico stopped him and they both ended up trying to kill each other. Then this tree-"She pointed over a ways where a tree was splintered and was crashed on the sand as the waves crashed on to it. "Fell on both of them. Nico was able to shadow travel himself a few feet out from underneath it but then he passed out, and I had to dig Jason out."

Percy looked at his cousins and he saw how hurt they all were, he was feeling beaten up and bruised by now too. "Maybe we could talk to our dads to calm them down."

Thalia looked up and shook her head. "He doesn't hear me, his _wife_ makes sure of that. Besides I don't want his help."

"And my dad has put a blind eye towards me. Plus I don't think he's in this fight." Hazel said looking up to Percy whose sea green eyes were strangely dull.

"Gods damn Hera." Thalia said angrily after the winds had been the only one they heard for a while. She stood up shakily looking past Percy and Hazel and up to the sky. She screamed profanity after profanity that was carried away by the wind. Percy wrapped his arms around Hazel who had her hands put against her ears that she so desperately tried to keep innocent.

Without knowing what Thalia was doing Hera heard her. She was sick of hearing Zeus and Poseidon bicker over an old fight of some mortal woman who was both a princess and the next to take power over some silly mortal land and a lover of the sea that she loved to sail freely. They were at it viciously as the seas below Olympus crashed angrily and the sky's around thundered dangerously.

"No, I'm telling you she would have chosen me!" Poseidon yelled as he stomped his trident on the granite floor.

"Bah! She was going to pick me, they always pick me." Zeus said stomping his foot glaring back at his younger brother.

Athena had come storming threw the doors. "You're creating mayhem on earth! This is foolish you must stop!"

"Only because you hypnotize them! Or trick them!" Poseidon yelled back at his brother.

Hera had her elbow dug into her arm rest of her throne as her fingers pinched between her eyes and she was leaned over. She hated when Zeus talked about his old loves, even one that he hadn't dominated because his other brother Hades was just as sick of the fighting over one woman as the other Olympians and had taken her for his so the fighting would stop. But it never truly did because they were immortal and bickered over it after hundreds of years later.

Just then Artemis walked in with Apollo. "Father! Your storms have nearly killed my hunters! They barely made it to the camp."

"Yeah and half of my kids almost got electrocuted when one of your freak lightning bolts hit the lake they were swimming at!" Apollo yelled which was different from his usually suave composition.

"You must stop this!" Athena yelled but Zeus didn't hear them, neither did Poseidon.

Then the three spawns of her husband that weren't even her children began to argue. She hated them all. She hated her husband for being so unfaithful to her. She hated Poseidon for being so stubborn and annoying. She hated the three other Olympians who were born of different women. It all began to grain down on her; it was hard trying to keep a family together when really most of the family wasn't even related to her.

Suddenly she heard them again as if her ears were choosing when to tune in and tune out. "Oh and look at that disaster! You're the one who made us promise not to have any more kids, and you're the one who broke it first!" Poseidon yelled.

"Yeah and even before you knew I had, you had a child of your own! And you said I tricked Vivian." Zeus said and Hera winced involuntary at the name of the last woman he had cheated on her with. The woman who was a decedent of royalty in England, who was attractive and magnetic and who had brought a lot of power to herself with the media very quickly. Of course he couldn't help but be attracted but that didn't mean he had to have a child with her. One that she hated more than any mortal she had ever before.

She heard them bickering even louder if that was possible. "I DID NOT TRICK HER! In fact she knew who I was-"

"Look how that ended up." Poseidon said. "At least Sally protected Percy from being corrupted by my power. Poor Thalia was abused by your lover who was obsessed over your power and you did nothing to stop it. Now look at her, she won't even talk to you and is slowly turning your son away from you too. My son loves me."

"Don't lecture me over my own children, brother. The only reason he is successful is because his only real enemies are mortal or monster. The minute you found out about my daughter both you and Hades tried to kill her. And I don't even want to go over Jason."

"She could have been the end of us! Of course we tried to destroy her before Kronos or even Gaia got to her." Poseidon huffed.

"Oh really? Is that why you didn't destroy Percy or Hades bringing his son and daughter out of the lotus's layer? You're both hypocrites. You wanted your own child to be the hero of Olympus for the power, but you knew Thalia was stronger than both of them and that being my child would obviously give her leverage."

"Please…" Poseidon rolled his eyes.

Hera had enough, she was sick of hearing them. She stood up with a huff as her beautiful white and gold dress flowed around her lightly like a feather. "You're both idiots," She said as they looked at her finally noticing there were other people around. "Who like to hear the sound of their voices. And you're both pigs for cheating on your wives."

She walked away past Athena who had stopped from almost impaling Artemis with her spear and Apollo who was trying to stop his twin from shooting Athena with an arrow. Then as she got further she heard there arguing again. She groaned in frustration as her heals clicked across the floor that Athena's daughter had just replaced. She walked out of the hall and down to the court where other godlings were working with the nymphs and satyrs.

They bowed to her then they continued on and she found herself going to Demeter's special garden that calmed her immortal soul. Oh how she hated most people. They were inconsiderate of other people's feelings. Like when was the last time she had been thanked for doing something for someone else?

Like just last week she had watched Athena's pet owl, Shinned Artemis's bow, given Apollo new sunglasses, Hermes a day off, Ares a kiss on the head even though he didn't act like he liked it even though he did, Hephaestus a new idea and Zeus a freebee from her wrath. The only people that ever thanked her for her being so nice without being asked was Demeter and Aphrodite, Both women who took manners very seriously.

She groaned frustrated as she sat down at this fountain and swiped her hand against the water. It changed as a huge storm at the silly little camp for the other Olympians children raged and threatened to kill all of them. Then in focused on a group of children. All of them big three children, two knocked out wet on the sand of the sea that tried to kill them, two hugging each other as the last screamed at the sky, at her.

Thalia Grace, her step daughter with her black makeup smeared down her unusually pail face spat at the storming sky addressing Hera. "You evil Bitch! I bet you're behind this storm! I hate you! I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

Hera felt something crack in her usually stone hard composure. She hated Thalia, more then she hated any other spawn of her husbands. She loved watching the girl suffer. Hera glared at the gods spawns who so easily believed they were gods themselves, especially that girl who thinks that she can't be killed or anything. She was sick of everyone yelling at each other and having no manners. She was going to fix this starting with the insufferable godlings. With a sweep of her hands and a laugh she sent a spell down to the children. "Sweet dreams." She whispered.

Thalia suddenly felt all the tiredness hit her as her screaming and anger ceased and she fell to the sand, the water pelting her before her eyes shut closed. Hazel screamed as she watched Thalia fall and not get up, She was terrified the girl had been hit by lightning since the sky cracked and boomed into her skull and chest. Then Hazel felt tired and she let go falling back into Percy's arms who was alarmed at both of the girls. He shook her. "Hazel?" And then his eyes suddenly got tired and the all too familiar sensation of unconsciousness fell over him and both he and Hazel next to Jason and Nico's sleeping forms. The sky and sea fighting against each other bitterly.

Thalias eyes opened up as the blue sky above her spun and made her sick as her head pounded. "What had happened?" She said as she put a hand up to her head and slowly sat up. She then heard Annabeth's voice.

"Tali!" She said noticing the ragged girl in the sand. Thalia turned towards her favorite person and smiled even though her head said no. Annabeth was in her normal shorts and orange camp t-shirt, the sky's nice and blue with nice white clouds floating, the sea perfectly calm like a mirror. The only thing that could ruin this was Annabeth's face as she saw Thalia, her hand reaching her mouth, her voice stuck in her throat. "Thalia?" She asked warily.

"What?" Thalia said with a raised dark eyebrow.

Annabeth looked around her hand still over her mouth as she looked back at Thalia. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Thalia suddenly felt scared as she felt her face and her body. Then she instantly knew. Her chin was more pronounced like Jason's, her throat had a strange bump on it, her chest was flat and that's when she really started to freak out. She jumped up rubbing her chest. "Holy crap!" She screamed as she jumped around and touched her ass and hips that were flat and she had lost her natural curves. And then she felt the heaviness in her pants. That's when she screamed. "HOLY SHITTTTTT!"

That had been enough to wake everyone else up. Nico was groggy and tired as he felt his legs hurt from that dumb tree that fell on him last night. He looked up as he sat up and they saw Thalia but not Thalia.

Annabeth grabbed the freaking out guy with black ragged hair that was cut short at the sides and long and spiky on top. A black leather jacket was a little tight on her but it still somehow worked on her now broad chest. "Tali- Tali," Annabeth grabbed Thalia by the shoulders and shook her. "THALIA!" She screamed. Thalia stopped with wide eyes staring back at her best friend. "Calm down." Annabeth's voice said sweetly.

"I'm a guy! How am I suppose to take this calmly?!" Thalia said pacing as she got away from Annabeth's grip.

Percy sat up next to Nico; he glanced at the girl next to him then at his girlfriend trying to calm down a guy who looked suspiciously like Thalia if she was a man. "Good to know nothing bad happened last night." he said as he laid back down with his arms under his head and a content smile.

Nico looked at Percy, or who he thought was Percy. And then he realized Percy was in shock because when Nico realized the girl with medium scruffy black hair, pretty face with sea green eyes and naturally calm aura was Percy the son of Poseidon he began to question who he was.

Nico quickly but precisely stood up with a small frown and walked in small steps over to the sea that was so calm like a mirror. He saw how his chin was pointed and soft, his cheeks more brought out, his eyebrows thinner, his eyes were still his though, the shape not exactly the same with the eyelashes darker and longer but ultimately still his. His hair was ragged like Thalias was but much longer, about to the mid of his back where it was split messily to the side and it fell in his eyes. He had hips and a small waist but it was still girlish, his chest was more than he had ever had although compared to other girls it wasn't much. He held in his horror as he nodded with a frown and walked away keeping the scream in.

Hazel woke up with a yawn. She stretched her arms and somehow she felt stronger, not by much but she still did. Something was different about her and she didn't know what but she kind of liked it. She noticed a girl with dark hair next to her on one side, a content look on her pretty face.

Hazel wondered who she was before she looked over at the other girl with pretty blond hair like Annabeth's only less curly and slightly whiter. She was pretty too with a strong look like a girl who played sports, she could almost believe the girl was an Apollo kid before she opened her eyes with a gasp and Hazel screamed.

"JASON!" Hazel jumped up and backed away realizing the blond girl was Jason and the other black haired one was Percy as they both stared back at her. "Your girls!"

"Huh?" Jason said very smartly with a raised eyebrow. He looked up at the guy with curly brown hair like Leos only much more easily kept. He was small, Thirteen or fourteen, kind of dainty but also not, like Hermes kids who aren't particularly ripped but aren't wimpy either, just a normal guy. His skin was hazel and he was staring at Jason horrified. He was really confused now.

Percy sighed. "yupp." He leaned back with his hands under his head just relaxing and glad to be alive. Completely denying everything.

"Thalia calm down." Annabeth said as she leaned down next to her best friend and sister. Thalia was on her knees, her hands over her head as she leaned down rocking back and forth hyperventilating. "Oh my gods, Artemis is going to kill me. My home- My life-"She then realized something as she quickly grabbed at her brow where her circlet was laid still there. She sighed before her heart began to pump again and the winds around them kicked up, agitated by her mood.

Hazel ended up backing into Nico and as she turned around she saw her brother as a girl. "Nico" Then she began to hyperventilate. "What's-What's going on?" She asked with horror on her face.

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her dead on where she was always comforted by his strong composure. "I don't know, but were going to be okay." He led her to the sea where she got a good look at herself and shakily sat down in the sand starting to realize that she was a boy, starting to realize all the new things about her.

Annabeth wrapped an arm around Thalia rubbing her back to comfort her. She looked around, all of the big three kids who she and the rest of the camp had thought died since none of them had come back after the freak storm that even Mr.D couldn't keep out of the borders were gender bent. She saw Hazel and Nico sitting in the sand trying slowly to accept the truth that they switched. Jason who was patting himself down and seaming to actually like the change with the funny look on his face and Percy, Oh Gods Percy. Annabeth felt something sting in her as she looked at her boyfriend- or maybe girlfriend now? Anyways as she realized he was the only one not freaking out because he was in denial mode.

"I'm a girl?" Jason said finally as he stood up and Thalia looked over. She whimpered as she put her face into Annabeth's shoulder. "Shhh." She shushed still rubbing her back.

An Idea came to her mind suddenly. "What are the others going to think?" She said out loud.

"I'm probably going to get kicked out of the hunt." And then Thalia slumped into Annabeth which was interesting since she basically had gotten Percy's body and he had gotten hers. Thalia was strong and built but lean also while Percy was curvy and lithe and every guys tease. Nico looked like Bianca but thinner as if she hadn't eaten in a while, and a lot darker with his attitude and the dark circles that were always around his eyes. Hazel was average for a guy but with a prettier face. And Jason, Annabeth knew the reason why Thalia didn't want to look at him was because he looked too much like her mother.

"Okay, I can kind of accept this." Jason said as he sat down next to Thalia and she never looked away from Annabeth's shoulder in despair.

Nico and Hazel walked over and sat on the other side of Annabeth creating a small circle. "Percy?" Annabeth said holding back what she was thinking.

"Hmm?" He said still bathing in the sun.

"You do know you're a girl right?" Annabeth asked really only seeing his feet. She was so used to seeing his big feet, now were small and probably graceful if he was anything like Thalia.

"I guess." He shrugged his small shoulders.

"You guess?" Annabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.

He then suddenly sat up with a gasp and a shocked look. "Oh my gods Annabeth! I'm a girl!" Then his eyes looked over at his friends and how they were gender swapped. Annabeth face palmed herself, oh how she loved that seaweed brain even if he was completely clueless sometimes. Percy quickly rushed over sitting down closing off the circle. He glanced at Thalia who Annabeth was rubbing her shoulders but let go what he was thinking to ask something much more important. "Why aren't you swapped like the rest of us?"

She groaned rolling her grey eyes. "I don't know I would rather ask why your gender swapped but yeah sure, we can ask the only one here who isn't of the big three why there not swapped." Annabeth said sarcastically where Percy pouted sitting back.

"You don't have to be rude." He pouted as he pushed a strand of long hair from his face and crossed his arms over his chest that was much more pronounced then he was used to. He then looked down, Looked up with a funny smile and then pushed the collar of his shirt away as he stared down his shirt. "Oh my gods," He looked like a kid in candy shop. "I have boobies!"

"Uhhh…" Annabeth started to feel her usual headache when she was around Percy start up. They had literally started the minute he woke up after he first arrived in camp five years ago when they both were twelve.

Before Annabeth could do it, Nico slapped Percy upside the head. "Stupid." He grumbled sitting back next to Hazel.

"Okay, let's figure this out before the other search parties come this way." Annabeth started. "What happened last night exactly?" All four of them except Thalia who was still in despair began to catch her up to what happened. How Jason and Hazel had almost been drowned but Percy saved them, how they fought but quickly decided that after Thalia had been carried off to sea that it was a bad idea. That Percy looked especially guilty when he said he saved Thalia, and only did what he did to save her and not because he liked her more than his cousin which Annabeth found weird but let it go. How Jason and Nico got knocked out and Hazel had saved them, how Thalia and Percy came back to shore and then how Thalia began to curse out Hera. "That's it!"

It was like a light bulb lit up in her brilliant mind. "Zeus and Poseidon must have been fighting over something, pissed off the queen of gods and Thalia had just pushed her off the edge by cursing her out too. Then she must have put some type of spell on you which explain why you all passed out, and now your gender bent."

"Okay, Yeah I like that idea. But what do we do now?" Hazel said nodding her head slowly taking in things.

Annabeth looked like she was tasting something bad. "As much as I hate to say it. You have to go apologize to Hera and maybe then she'll turn you all back."

"Okay." Jason shrugged not really caring that he was a girl, he still had good looks but in a different way now. He actually wanted to see if he could fool Piper and more importantly Leo since Leo and his cabin mates had been playing pranks on him mercilessly. Who said revenge wasn't satisfying?

"I'm good with it. Were on okay terms." Percy said as he felt himself up and Annabeth looked as if she wanted to die.

"She doesn't like me but I'll do it if I can be a guy again." Nico said looking away with his usual no care look.

"She doesn't seem so bad." Hazel said with her eyes nice and bright. "I'm fine with it."

"I actually was talking to Thalia." Annabeth said as she looked at the guy leaning on her shoulder. Thalia slowly turned her face so she could see Annabeth and her usually stern grey eyes that she's had since she was a child. "Huh Tali? You're going to be a good little… uhh… hunter and go tell your step mother you're sorry for calling her those horrible names." Thalia didn't respond. "Aren't you?" She said more sternly.

Thalia got up so she could sit on her own and leaned into herself. She missed her hips, her small waist and even her soft breasts. It sounded as if she was narcissistic but she really wasn't, if you were changed like she had been then you would think the same thing. She felt dirty being a guy, especially with her circlet still on her brow. "Fine." She said very small frowning. She hated Hera but it seems she hated being a guy even more.

"Good, now let's get you changed before Chiron has a heart attack thinking your all dead." Annabeth said quickly as she stood up and saw how all the guys turned girls were drowning in their dirty crusted from sand clothes, and the two girls turned guys had ripped clothes from growing too broad. Annabeth tried not to laugh as they all uncomfortably began to walk back to camp but she lost it when Jason began to do his usual strut that made all the girls swoon but looked stupid on him now that he was a girl.

"Wait-" Annabeth said as she looked around and saw as a few kids passed the woods where they were all hiding, when they were gone she ushered them forward. They quickly made it around the camp without being seen.

"The Aphrodite cabin?" Jason said gulping realizing maybe his idea about tricking his girlfriend wasn't a good idea anymore. Besides if anyone found them in there that wasn't Piper, like Drew, they would never live this down. The Aphrodite cabin was notorious for gossip.

"It's okay, there all down pretending there practicing there Pegasus riding." Annabeth said as she ushered all five big three kids into the cabin. She looked around again right before she closed the pink door and then all the shutters. She saw the cabin and how much it had changed since Silena and she realized she hadn't been in here since Silena was alive and they use to hang out which dampened her spirit but she pushed it away to pay attention to the problem at hand. "Okay find some clothes that fit and match. I'll explain to Piper later."

And with that they began to rummage through the bunks, the girls on the guy's side of the curtain, the guys on the girl's side. Annabeth helped them find their size and eventually they were all dressed, and they didn't look like fashion nightmares like Silena would have put it.

Jason was sporting a half lace purple shirt that was nice over a pair of straight leg jeans and black convers. His hair brought into a pony tail where two pieces from his barely to the side split hair fell on his gorgeous face. Annabeth examined him and from the few times she was curious and had looked up his mother and seen her pictures from magazines and profiles on the internet she realized he was a spitting image of Vivian Grace, right when she had started to become an actress. She could understand why Tali tried not to look at him, after that woman had gone power hungry and took her anger out on nine year old Thalia.

Nico was in black skinny jeans that hugged his calf's, a black t-shirt that had some band that was metal on it and he threw on his aviator jacket that he didn't care if was only half dry and covered In sand. He looked so ragged and unhappy that Annabeth actually felt like giving him a hug if she didn't know him and how he would pull out his stygian sword from the shadows and slit her throat with it. After all there was always some sort of special hatred he had against her and she didn't understand why she was special.

Percy was playing with his chest as he had a simple camp T-shirt that hugged his figure nicely without strangling it out of him; a jean skirt over leggings that went to his calf's and black bobs. His hair was combed through all though it was still scruffy like it always was when he was a guy and it was shorter. "You know I don't understand how you girls can wear these bras, there really uncomfortable." He said fidgeting around realizing the miracle of underwire bras, especially the Aphrodite cabins underwear that was mostly lacy and frilly. Annabeth held back a chuckle as she still found herself in love with Percy even though her body told her she shouldn't be into a girl, even though technically she was a he.

Hazel had a simple blue shirt on with a hoodie thrown over nice khaki shorts and niky shoes. With her hands in her pockets she actually looked like a casual guy even though Annabeth knew that she was freaking out inside. Annabeth thought about it and realized Hazel would be the perfect guy. She was nice, caring, athletic, handsome and honest. Annabeth would date her if she wasn't four years older and really a girl.

Then Annabeth looked over at Thalia and she groaned. Thalia was every girls idea of a bad boy, the type they fantasize about to steal them in the middle of the night out of their beds or to upset there preppy boyfriends that don't give them enough attention. She was in a dark plain t-shirt that was V-necked so you could see part of her strong chest, styled jeans that looked like they were beat up but also looked really good on her, her combat boots that weren't gender specific and lastly her leather jacket and her dark eyelashes over her electric blue eyes and her spiked up hair. Annabeth felt the headache get worse.

"Do you have to tempt the other gender? I mean its all fun and games when you're a girl and a huntress and you're tempting the guys but really, doing it when you're a guy?" Annabeth looked up to Thalia with a sigh.

Thalia shrugged. "I don't like it either, but this is how I would dress as a guy. So get over it." With that Thalia leaned against a bunk with her arms crossed looking as if she didn't care.

"Okay, so I'm going to go get Chiron. And you guys stay here." She said as she began to back up afraid they would follow her like a stray dog. "Don't move." She pointed her finger at them all where Jason didn't look like he cared just like his sister and Percy was leaning down with his hair flipped over as he peered up his skirt. "I mean it, like don't let anyone in in less it's me or Chiron. And more importantly don't go out that door." She pointed at the door as she still moved slowly towards it.

Nico couldn't handle her talking to them all like they were children. He could understand with Percy but the rest of them weren't little kids. "Okay, we got it. Leave." He sat down on a bed and put his back to her. He heard her whisper to herself. "What I have to deal with sometimes." Before she walked out where the cabin door slammed.

"I kind of like being a girl, you know?" Percy said still fondling over himself.

"Really? We never noticed." Thalia said sarcastically and bitterly.

"Just because you don't like being a guy doesn't mean you have to be mean about it." Percy said frowning at Thalia.

Before Thalia could explode in anger which she was prone to do Jason redirected her thoughts. "Hey think about how you can trick Phoebe or Alex." He just picked the two girls he knew the names of from the hunt.

Thalia groaned and pushed her back to Jason. "Just shut up while you're ahead."

Hazel was sitting contently on the bed as Percy rummaged around the cabin. He ended up laying all the girls' underwear he likes on the bed. All of them were lacy and almost see threw. "You know this is really giving me a new insight on girls."

"You're such a pervert." Nico muttered.

Percy stood up and glared at Nico. "No I'm not and I don't understand why you're not enjoying this like I am. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to be the other gender?"

"No." Nico said monotone.

"Not particularly." Hazel said.

"Not really." Jason said.

"No, because I've always liked being a girl. And because I am the lieutenant of Artemis, an ALL GIRL HUNTING GROUP." Thalia glared at Percy for being so stupid, his nickname from Annabeth was all too dead on.

"You're only mad because she you know you screwed up and you're the only one that can fix it." Percy said and Thalia gave him her usual scary ten look that even he, the two time prophecy kid was scared of.

Suddenly there was a turn of the knob of the cabin and Jason lunged forward but not use to his new body slammed forward into the door. As he rolled on the ground holding his new chest and realizing that boobs weren't all fun and games the door opened and Piper came look around the door that only moves part way because of Jason being in the way.

She sees the new girl on the ground, then the other four people who aren't supposed to be in her cabin. "Are you okay?" Piper asked the blond girl on the ground as she came around the door. The girl nodded holding in her pain as she hid behind her long blond hair. Piper looked up at the others who strangely looked familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Oh do you." The guy on the right said sarcastically as his dark hair fell in his face shielding his eyes from her.

There was a girl who smiled at her like they were best friends, she was especially pretty and if Piper didn't know any better she could have almost believed she was a daughter of Poseidon with the sea green eyes. Then she saw the boy with the gold eyes that reminded her of Hazel and the ragged dark girl who pouted next to her that was like Hazels older brother only in girl form. This was all too weird to her and she actually felt like she was in a trap as she began to back up for the door.

"Pipes don't." The girl with the blond hair said behind her as she took her hand. Piper spun around not wanting to be touched, especially with the way she had said her name like Jason does with pure devotion to her. She saw the blue eyes behind the blond hair and then she stopped as the other girl took both of her hands near there shoulders.

In total awe she managed to say "Jason?" with wide open eyes as this hit her. This girl was her boyfriend, she was sure of it now as she gave her one of his 'yeah, I know' smiles. She turned to look at the others as it all connected. "Hi. Percy…Nico… Hazel…" She eyed each one of them that looked up at her with their usual semi-happy expressions that were slightly changed with their faces. "And Thalia?" the guy on the left looked over and his startling blue eyes that were even brighter than Jason's looked up at her.

"Hey." Thalia ended up saying as she looked away again.

"Okay… Should I ask or is that a bad idea?" Piper said looking slowly over to Jason her… girlfriend?

"Bad idea." Jason said nodding his head with the blond hair falling in his face and He didn't like it. He didn't understand how any girl could stand this much hair.

"Alright then, so I guess I'll act as if this never happened. And you all are your normal selves." She walked past them, grabbed the sunblock with extra lotion and the Band-Aids with cute little hearts on them since some of her siblings refused to have normal bandages when they got hurt since they were so bland. Sometimes she couldn't handle her family, like ever.

"Wait." Percy said suddenly as everyone stopped and looked over at him. He rushed past Jason before anyone could realize what he was doing. "I need to get a picture!" He then ran out the door and breaking the only real rule Annabeth had set.

"Percy!" Hazel yelled as she ran after him. "Annabeth said we shouldn't leave the cabin!"

"Hazel, you just left the cabin…" Nico said as he walked out after her.

"Those idiots." Jason complained as he ran after them looking like Annabeth when she had a headache which was quite often since most people around her were idiots.

Piper stared out the door as Thalia walked next to her. Piper looked up and she could definitely feel the weirdness. After all Piper had technically met Thalia when she passed out from hyperthermia almost a year ago. Now she was a guy and a dangerously attractive one. "I'll keep my siblings away if you try not to be noticed."

"Yeah, no promises." Thalia said as she slowly walked after all of them.

Percy got to his cabin and went flying threw his stuff as he threw things out of his dressers looking for the camera. Finally he found it right as Hazel came through his door. "Take a picture for me?" He asked and she just sighed with a fine.

He posed throwing out his hip and leaning against the wall, with one arm over his head, his hair over his shoulders. Yes, he was determined to remember this just in case Hera decided to wipe his memory when he got changed back. He threw out a few more poses that eventually made Hazel blush but she took them anyways.

Nico leaned against the door jamb with Jason next to him. "Having fun?"

Percy took the old film camera that needed to be developed later from Hazel and without thinking he turned it on the three of them. Nico shied from it quickly as his spiky long hair swished hitting Jason who had tried to hide his face with his hands and Hazel who had tried to hide under her hoodie. "Ha, I bet that one was a good one!"

"I'll show you a good one." Nico said tempered and grabbed the camera from him tossing it to Jason who held it above his head where Percy couldn't reach even though they were barely of different sizes.

"Yo Percayyy you in here?" Leo's familiar voice rang and they all stopped doing what they were doing right as the Hephaestus Latino elph came through the door. He looked around at the unfamiliar kids who looked very suspicious as one of the girls wrestled a camera from the other girl, the blond one. "Uhhh… I don't know what you're doing in here but do you know if the other kids found Percy or Jason anywhere?"

Jason coughed throwing on his most flirty composer. "No, I haven't" Jason said slowly and very moany batting his eyelashes at Leo leaning towards him. Instantly Percy burst into laughter before Nico hit him in the gut hard and that stifled his laughter.

"Uhh… okay." Leo said kind of freaked out now.

Jason knew that Leo couldn't help but fall for a pretty girl and he also knew that he could get Leo to not speak a word if he brainwashed him. "But if there found can you," Jason ran his finger down Leos chest and behind him he ordered Percy to take a picture of Leo where there was a click right as Leo screwed up his face with wide eyes and leaned away. "Tell me."

"Whoa! I have a girlfriend lady. It's not that you're not pretty," He gulped. "But hot stuff like this is already taken." He pulled on his suspenders where they snapped back into place.

Jason stood back giving him an unamused look. "You know I still haven't met calypso."

"Dude, Is that you?!" Leo said with a wide grin that was so easy on him.

"Great, will just tell everyone we know while we're at it." Nico said rolling his eyes as he leaned back into Percy's dresser. "It couldn't get any more embarrassing."

"Yeah it is." Jason said still cool and suave even in girl form.

"Dang man, your smoking." Leo looked his best friend turned girl over.

"Hey no free looking." Jason teased. He loved Leo because he didn't care who you were, just that you were his friend. They joked around as Thalia had her own small adventure.

Thalia had been following her four younger cousins wondering how Jason and Percy could be technically older than her when they both weren't acting like it when she ran into a girl. "Excuse me." The girl said tempered and clearly annoyed that Thalia hadn't been watching where she was going.

The girl had glossy black hair that was braided down her back, she had this regal look to her that said she had authority and nobody should question it. Instantly Thalia recognized her as Reyna, The once praetor of the twelve legions and the girl who Jason felt guilty about when he barely remembered his old life.

"Sorry." Thalia said brushing off the dust and pushing past her. Thalia knew the faster they got to Olympus the better. She hated the taste of apologizing to Hera but she knew if she did it quickly it wouldn't hurt as much.

Suddenly Reyna walked over to the fountain sitting there on the edge and began to cry which startled Thalia because she had been taught so quickly that every maiden had a true reason why they shed tears. She cursed herself as her hunter skills kicked on and she walked over to Reyna who had her knees up to her and her head in her arms. "Are you okay?" Reyna looked up as a few tears flowed down her red cheeks.

"Why-"She sniffed. "Do you care?"

Thalia sat down next to the poor girl who she knew had endured a lot from childhood till now. Thalia respected strong people who could turn down power, like Reyna had done with her position as Praetor so she could just live a normal teenage life, sort of. "I don't know, I don't like seeing pretty girls crying." It sounded flirtier then she had intended, which she hadn't been.

Reyna analyzed the guy ahead of her, she expected him to be an ass which every guy she had ever been interested in was. He looked like an ass with the dark hair, the ragged clothes and the whole bad boy look, but those eyes reminded her of a friend and that's when she began to cry again and she laid her head between her arms that leaned against her knees.

"Why you crying?" Thalia said as she looked at Reyna and then around to make sure no one she knew was around to see her this way.

"My-My best friend disappeared last night." Reyna looked up as she wiped away a tear feeling stupid that she was about to poor her heart out to some random guy who probably just wants to play her like all the others. "He was trying to help people out of the storm and now nobody can find him, or his cousins."

"Let me guess, He's blond with surprisingly blue eyes. A scar on his lip, and he's about yay high." Thalia said with a hand stretched to about how tall he was when he was a guy and not let's say a girl who looked too much like her-his mother at that age.

"Wow, your good." Reyna said actually surprised.

"Yeah well he's my brother-" Thalia said realizing that that couldn't be possible since Reyna obviously knew Jason only has one sibling and she was a girl not a guy. "My brother's partner in… weaving baskets." Weaving baskets? That's the best she's got? Reyna nodded slowly. "I'm sure he's fine. You know just doing something he's not supposed to." Thalia looked over to Percy's cabin where she could see Jason talking to Leo. They were in deep by now.

"You're oddly nice." Reyna said with a raised eyebrow.

"Just because I look this way and have a place of power doesn't mean I'm not." Thalia said sort of offended because most people before they met her treated her this way. She was a living legend and a lot of story's circulated around half-bloods making her out as some power hungry bitch who hates anyone who wasn't a huntress which couldn't be farther from the truth.

"No, I mean for just meeting some strange crying girl you've been really nice." She sniffled as her strong composure came back.

"It's my job." Thalia shrugged knowing this was true and the only reason why she had stopped to care. She missed her body; this one was too big and clunky for her. She was surprised she hadn't tripped yet, Luke use to say if it wasn't for her light graceful feet she would be dead by now from either self-impalement or being too slow to outrun a hellhound. She missed him.

"And what jobs that?" Reyna said as she began to cheer up and was now fully interested in this new guy who was different than the others. He reminded her of Jason but only more down to earth. He even had the startling electric blue eyes that she had never seen before except on him and a photo of his sister who she still hadn't met.

"Therapist." Thalia threw out with a roll of her eyes and a flick of both of her hand that her elbows were on her knees. Reyna laughed which startled Thalia.

"That must be a sucky job, especially among half-bloods who have more than their share of traumatizing events." Reyna laughed again and Thalia had a strange sensation that this girl didn't do it often and when she did only around people she was completely comfortable with, like Jason. She then started to see herself in this girl which was scary since Thalias life sucked before she became a huntress.

"Oh believe me, I've seen the worst." Thalia nodded knowing Percy, Annabeth, Luke and several others who had all literally been down to hell and back.

Reyna scooted closer to the guy finding she genuinely liked him. He was funny and made her laugh which wasn't easy, He made her feel comfortable and he was attractive without flaunting it too much. "So what's your name?"

Thalia was now feeling nervous as Jason's friend was actually starting to seam to look interested in her which made her uncomfortable. She could handle guys mooning over her normal untouchable female body, but not girls over her new unfamiliar boy body. "Theo." That's the best she could think of on the moment.

"Theodor. I like it, I suit you." Thalia realized she had actually given an actual name and was kind of proud of herself. "At least the nickname. So who's your parentage?" Her hand moved over Thalias and that's when she saw Annabeth walking next to Chiron who looked worn down. Thalia wondered if she would look like that in a few centuries, like Zoe had after twenty hundred.

She hated herself for this but she hated that she was accidentally leading Reyna on when the girl had gone through enough. "Hey Annabeth!" Thalia caught the blond's attention and then Annabeth's grey eyes narrowed at her in anger. "Come meet my new friend."

Annabeth walked over keeping a straight face as she noticed Thalia had dug herself a deeper hole which almost didn't seem possible at this point. "Hey Reyna." Annabeth said with a strained smile as she tried to stop herself from slapping the one person who had always been there for her since the beginning when she was seven.

"Oh hello Annabeth." Reyna said as her smile disappeared and her regal expression came back to the surface.

"I see you've met my cousin-"Annabeth was clueless what to call Thalia at this point.

"Theo." Thalia said with a smile and Annabeth took it from there.

"Your," Reyna raised an eyebrow at the two who were acting odd. "Cousin..."

"Yeah. Have you seen any new campers around? Since I assume they didn't wait for me to get Chiron." Annabeth said to Reyna although she angrily directed it to Thalia who she was not in speaking terms right now.

"No, only Theo. I've been looking for Jason. Hey aren't you worried about Percy? I heard he disappeared with Jason and the others last night." Reyna could see the tension between beautiful Annabeth and Shockingly hot Theo.

Annabeth waved her hand. "Oh him, he disappears a lot. But he always seems to make his way back home right here next to me." She patted Thalias shoulders nice and hard where Thalia endured knowing this was not the worst she was expecting. "Or else I'll track him down, even in death."

This left Reyna speechless and Thalia terrified for her life even though she was immortal. "Okay well were just going to get going." With that she grabbed Thalias arm and pulled her along with her as Chiron had been sitting back chucking to himself silently.

For a while there walked in till they turned a corner of a cabin out of the line of sight of Reyna and Annabeth slammed Thalia into the wall for what she was guessing was the Demeter's cabin. "What the Hades is wrong with you? I give one simple order and you feel the need to break it?"

"I was actually the last technically and the only reason I was talking to her was because she was crying. And you know it's my job that I can't let some unhappy maiden wallow in her sorrow. You can take it up with my boss if you like." Thalia pointed at her circlet as Annabeth's grey eyes looked at her and she grinded her teeth.

"Okay, whatever. We need to find the others then, since you all never listen to me." Annabeth said letting her go.

"You know, you all have truly brightened my life with your antics." Chiron said as he looked very satisfied.

Thalia groaned because she knew in a hundred years Chiron would still be joking around with her about the time that she turned into man. "Shut up." Thalia said as she walked away with her head low and a laugh from Chiron.

They walked to Percy's cabin but clearly none of them were there, even though Thalia could have sworn they were a few minutes before. They ended up following the sound as a bunch of people chanted and there was clashing of swords and there was no battle scheduled for today.

What they found left both girls speechless and Annabeth nearly fainted from her now a migraine. Percy was battling Jason. Both of them equal, both of them clearly into it. And the crowd was filled with every camper from each cabin, roman or not.

Thalia was done with this. She was done. She wanted her body back and that mythic bitch of a goddess had taken it from her. She reached back and suddenly her bow appeared magically like always, it was good to know she was still a huntress even if she was a boy. She grabbed an arrow, knocked it on the string pulled back eyeing exactly where she wanted to hit and then with a sigh she let go.

Percy wanted to prove to Jason that he was the master swords man not the other way around but Jason was certain that he had been trained by the best and could easily beat him. Hazel was shocked at the fact this all started when Leo said he could finally beat Jason at arm wrestling which still wasn't true even when he was a girl. Nico noticed the arrow from his dark corner under the stands above and he smiled knowing that out of all his cousins Thalia was one that took no crap from anyone.

The arrow hit the shield stands where it bounced off one and went flying at this tarp high above them that the Hephaestus cabin had been trying to do something with but ultimately was good for nothing but holding gallons of water from the storm. The Arrow sliced right through the bottom of the tarp and fifty gallons of water went flying down to the two girls who clashed swords in the middle of the arena.

Suddenly out of nowhere a heavy block of water hit Jason and Percy smashing them down on the ground and coughing it up stuck in the new mud. Jason pulled his wet helmet off of his hot head; his stupid long blond hair in his way was now all frizzed out. Percy sputtered the water out of his system and he was really starting to see why people didn't like being wet in less for taking a shower or swimming.

The people in the stands were confused as they looked around for how that had happened and why. Then they saw the guy walk out into the arena, a bow clutched in his hand as he walked out to the girls in the middle.

"Oh my gods, who is he?" Drew said leaning forward suddenly interested in the fighting now that something she could like came into play. Piper rolled her eyes and then looked at the three as they began to argue in the middle. Her boyfriend, his sister and his cousin were idiots. Even after she had covered for them.

Thalia stood above the two idots who were drenched. "Cool down enough?" She asked glaring at them both.

"Your such a-"Percy began before he got her scary ten glare and he stopped mid-sentence.

Suddenly Annabeth came running over and Percy was happy that he could have her on his side but as she reached him she slapped him. Hard and it shocked Percy awake. She had never done that before, never needed to. "You seaweed friking brain. I gave you one rule. One!" she raised a finger up to him. "And you can't even follow that. Unbelievable."

Percy rubbed his soar jaw as Jason dealt with his sister. "You're lucky I'm not mom. Because you would be in deep shi-"Chiron coughed and Thalia knew that he liked to have his students not speak profanity like she so often did. "Stuff."

"Look you don't need to protect me." Jason said.

Nico showed up with Hazel, Leo and Piper now. Chiron took over from there. "Nothing to see. Go back to your classes." And with that as he cantered back and forth the kids groaned and began to file out. The Aphrodite cabin was hard to get rid of since Thalia was out there and Jason and Percy were too but Piper got them out eventually. Then there were the hunters who were stuck there without their leader and had only come because two maidens who had been fighting were fierce and the huntresses loved fierce.

Phoebe looked on as the other girls began to pack up there stuff and leave on another search party for Thalia who had disappeared last night in the storm and hadn't been seen in a long time. Thalia felt her gold and silver eyes on her back and she knew that if Phoebe saw her from the front she would know and that was the exact thing Thalia was trying to avoid. She wanted to make this as painless as possible, which it really hadn't been at all.

It went in circulations as Thalia reprimanded Jason and Jason told her off like siblings do. Percy pouted as he rubbed his jaw and Annabeth tried to get this under control and Chiron enjoyed watching them all, this was probably the funniest thing he'd seen in a long time. Hazel stood with Nico who had his hands in his pockets and was trying to stay out of the sun.

"This is pointless. We should stop fighting with each other and instead go to Olympus." Nico said darkly. He wanted his old body back, not that it really mattered to him since he was never comfortable anywhere but at least he was use to that one.

"I don't know, maybe this is all happening for a reason." Hazel said as Nico gave her a confused look. She sighed "Maybe Hera is trying to teach us all a lesson."

Nico laughed sarcastically once. "Yeah right. Look Hazel if you know anything about big three kids, since you are one, you should know that the wives of our fathers aren't particularly nice to their husband's kids."

"I know that." Hazel gave him a dead look. "I know Persephone hates your guts and would probably hate mine if I was allowed down there."

"But you don't get it. Persephone is moody, Amphrodit is cold but Hera is devious." Nico said. "You know how Jason got to the Roman camp?" Hazel nodded. "She stole him away from Thalia who had basically been raising him herself since her mother didn't seem to care. I don't know if this is true but I think Hera might have cursed Mrs. Grace and made her obsess over Zeus, made her a drunk and possibly even forced her to hurt Thalia." Hazel gasped.

Hazel looked over to Thalia who was arguing with Jason and even though she looked annoyed you could tell she was holding back, making sure she didn't push Jason away by accident. "So, Hera's torturing us all to get to Thalia?"

Nico shook his head and it looked like he was twenty with a lot of problems and not this teenage boy. "It's possible. I've never seen Hera hate anyone more than Thalia, and that's saying a lot since she tried to shove a statue on Annabeth at the end of the Titan war."

"What?" Hazel gasped.

"Long story, which by the way Thalia took the impact of it and nearly died, again."

"Is it bad I'm starting to wonder if it's even possible to kill her?" Hazel said leaning into Nico looking over at Thalia.

"No, I think everyone wonders that after a while. Anyways, I'm not even sure if Hera will turn us back."

"Why wouldn't she?" Hazel was staring to get scared. She wanted her body back; she was just starting to enjoy how she was maturing.

"She hates most of us." Nico said simply. "She hates Percy because he's a show off and he's dating Annabeth, She hates me because father is starting to match up in power against Zeus, She hates you probably because we have the same father, She hates Thalia with a burning passion. The only one she doesn't hate is Jason and that's because she had basically molded him into her perfect spawn since childhood." He saw Hazel's expression and he knew he had screwed up. "Look, all I'm saying is that Thalia better mean it when she says sorry or we may never get back to our normal bodies again."

"Oh no." Hazel said.

"What?" Nico said as he looked around. Then he saw what she was looking at. Travis and Connor Stole were walking over. "I thought they went to Camp Jupiter to start on College down there." Nico said.

"Actually, Katie Garner left with Travis but since Connors a year younger he tries to visit as often as possible." Hazel said knowing that because her boyfriend was Praetor and had to know everything especially since the Romans and Greeks were still getting use to each other. Wouldn't want a war on their hands again.

Annabeth heard them before she saw them. She groaned as she pushed between Thalia and Jason who were making her migraine even worse. Travis was surprisingly maturing since last time she had seen him, it looks like Katie Gardner his girlfriend was a perfect example for him. Connor however was his usual self; pulling pranks, slacking off, and just being a pain, especially now that Travis wasn't near him 24/7. She had to wonder why he didn't just go to Camp Jupiter so he could be around Travis more often. But then again, Connor never did like Katie and that was probably a reason.

"Hey guys, I'm sort of dealing with introducing the new kids right now so could you-" Annabeth started before Travis and Connor walked right past her as if they hadn't seen her to begin with.

"Oh wow this is interesting." Travis said as he looked over the 'new' kids around in the arena.

"I would say so." Connor said back. "Twenty Drachmas I'm right."

"Twenty Drachma that I'm not right." Travis said saying the not part very quietly so his brother almost couldn't decipher it out. Travis was always the better scammer.

"look guys I really need you to-" Annabeth started again but they ignored her again where by this time she was steaming and Chiron grabbed her around the waist as she fought in his grasp so she wouldn't kill the stole brothers.

Travis walked over to the guy in black, the one he hoped, oh gods he hoped was not a guy after all. "What's your name?"

"Go away." The bad boy said rolling his electric blue eyes. Yes Travis was sure this was who he thought. He only knew two people in the entire world who had that extreme eye color and right now they were both missing, how convenient.

"Not in till you kiss me." Travis had some major balls or he was just really secure with himself.

"Wha-?" Everyone around said except Connor who was smiling like a demon.

Out of nowhere Travis grabbed Thalia before she could react and dipped her back, which was interesting since she was about his size only more muscular and he planted his lips on hers. Without thinking her hunter skills kicked on. She kicked him right between the legs, and she actually felt bad about it because she now had an idea how that felt, when he let go instantly she spun to her feet and with a punch upward sent him flying backwards right into Chiron's arms.

Travis was all loopy eyed as he slumped and Chiron held the kid up by his arms. Thalia walked over to him, Towering over which was weird because he was usually the taller one and with a wipe from the back of her hand on her lips she spat at his feet. "I-knewwww it!" Travis said still unable to really keep his eyes focused.

"Hey Thalia." Connor said then he turned to the others. "Nico, Hazel, Jason, Percy."

"Damn you Stoles!" Annabeth said as she rushed forward to kick Connors ass since Thalia had gotten Travis. Right before she could reach him Percy and Jason grabbed her from both arms, she was surprisingly strong for a girl and that's saying a lot since Percy and Jason were a lot weaker than they ever have been before.

"Pay up brother dear." Connor said walking around Annabeth's fury.

"Actually, the bet was that I was not right, which was that Thalia was not a guy. So you have to pay up." Travis said.

"But my bet was that she was a guy, which I won." Connor put his thumb against his chest.

"So neither of you won anything, I have taught you simple math haven't I?" Chiron said as he let the soar Travis stand on his own.

"Can I?" Nico said as he looked at Annabeth and Chiron. They both nodded in agreement. "Good, will see how this goes since I haven't done it in a while." Nico actually smiled which was scarier than not as he grabbed both Stole brothers by the arms before they could protest and suddenly all the shadows in the arena came flooding towards him like water to Percy. They disappeared as Nico laughed and Connor and Travis screamed terrified for their lives.

"Well this has been an eventful day." Chiron said pleased.

"Oh believe me you don't know the half of it." Annabeth said. She would love some pain medication like Vicodin by now. Screw aspirin, her pain was starting to spread from her head to her body. She found herself rubbing her shoulders and she knew that her friends were going to be the death of her someday. "So about that ride?"

"I'm sorry Annabeth but Argus already took the truck to sell the strawberries, we have no other mode of transportation in less you want to go by Pegasus." Chiron said.

"NO!" Thalia screamed. She looked around her, both Annabeth and Percy giving her sympathetic looks and Jason and Hazel confused ones. She coughed red in the face. "I'd really prefer not to."

"I could get Aron down here, but he can only handle two of us." Hazel said. She really was trying to be helpful.

"Hey, What about Rachel?" Annabeth said looking at Percy whose face lit up.

"Yeah, she's here and so is her convertible." Percy said with a smile.

"Let's do it!" Annabeth said as Percy and her hugged which was awkward but then they went running down to where they knew Rachel would be. "Thanks Chiron!"

"I really didn't do anything." He said modestly as he cantered off.

"Well I guess I'll just call Aron and will be off." Hazel said. "Oh can you iris message Nico to meet us at Olympus?" She asked Jason who was still struggling with his long hair.

"Yeah sure." Jason said as he was beginning to think that he could cut it all off if they never got changed.

Annabeth and Percy ran down a winding road that was strewn with fallen branches and leaves from the storm. Finally they saw the cave up ahead with the purple cloth as a door. "You want to get her?" Annabeth asked Percy and them both seemed to have been thinking the same thing.

Annabeth went first as she pulled the curtain aside. "Rachel!" The cave was unusually dark. She had decked it out with funky lights all over and murals and painting all over the cave that it didn't in the least make it look scary but now it did as all the lights were off and there was just something not right about this. "Rachel?" Annabeth asked now truly scared for her friend.

Percy was now realizing that something was wrong and that's when he started to freak out. "Rachel!" Percy hit the lights but none of them turned on except a few that fluttered on before popping and becoming dead like the others. They walked through the cave with only the light from outside as they tripped on a canvas. Annabeth held it up to the light and with a scream she threw it away.

Percy clicked Riptide and the pen became a sword. He grabbed the picture that was clearly Rachel's style of painting. Kronos was looked back at him. This wasn't one of the old ones she drew; it was fairly new with the paint still drying. Percy got to his feet and helped Annabeth up as he brandished his sword that glowed. All around them, on Rachel's bed, the walls, and the floor was pictures of their worst enemies.

Medusa with her eyes glowing under sunglasses and her snakes itching to take a bite. The killer sheep that looked cute but under that lay razor teeth and glowing red eyes. Dr. Thorn with his killer spikes and his evil grin. And so many others. They looked around in horror and they both saw it. They saw Tartarus again. Annabeth began to hyperventilate as she thought she was drowning in the acid air again.

Percy held her close but it was odd because he had changed so much that Annabeth was taller again. "It's going to be okay." he shushed her then suddenly the lights turned on and there was a loud "BOO!" right behind both of them

"AHHHH!" They both literally jumped out of their pants as the red headed girl who had been standing right behind them scared the life out of them. She laughed and she cried as Percy and Annabeth tried to stop their hearts from failing. "Got you!"

"You jerk!" Annabeth screamed as Rachel lost it and fell to her hands and knees, laughing so hard that she was starting to make a pool of water with her tears.

"Oh that was so worth it!" Rachel said between gasps.

"I have half a mind to slit your throat right now ginger." Annabeth said truly tempted.

"You love me." Rachel laughed as she wiped away a tear and sat back. "You would miss me too much if I was gone."

"That was cruel and mean." Percy said and Rachel looked over and suddenly her face screwed up.

"Uh Percy…" Rachel began as her laughter receded.

"Yeah."

"You're a girl."

"Yeah." Percy said heavier.

Then Rachel burst out in another fit of laughter. "Oh my gods! This actually got better!" She rolled on the ground, red faced unable to stop her. It actually hurt so much to laugh she were both crying from happiness and from pain. "Ha, why are you a girl?" She said with her cheek on the stone ground, and her arms wrapped around her stomach.

"Do you really want to know?" Percy said now realizing why no one else was enjoying their swap, because they didn't want to be seen by someone they knew and humiliated.

Rachel thought about it and then said "Tell me later, will have a girls night out with all three of us!" Then she began to laugh again as she thought she was so funny.

"I hate you." Percy said and Annabeth rubbed his back affectionately.

When Rachel settled down, which by then Thalia had already walked in wondering if they had died or something they asked Rachel if they could borrow her car which she shrugged and said "Sure. Why not, I haven't been to Olympus for a while and I'm sure Apollo would love to check up on me."

They all walked down to the cabins where they found a mound of people waiting there for them. "Oh great." Annabeth said as she rubbed her temples.

Piper ran up to them with Leo right behind. "I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen."

"I think they're going to kill each other!" Leo said with his hair sticking up even more than usual.

Annabeth realized who was down there, the Hunters of Artemis and the Aphrodite cabin, two things that didn't mix well at all. Percy stood back with Rachel knowing this was not there battle.

Thalia ran forward with Annabeth and they could see Drew was down talking Alex, two sisters but on different forces. The Aphrodite cabin had a special hatred for Alex, mostly because she was the only daughter of Aphrodite to ever join the hunt, even if that was about two hundred years ago. The rest of the hunters were riled as they pulled out there bows and hunting knives. The Aphrodite cabin didn't have that type of weaponry, they had there harsh words that could even wound a huntress, and even a few had magic put up their sleeves. Nothing too substantial but enough to confuse the huntresses if necessary or even make them fall in love long enough to break an oath that was part of them.

Without Thalia there, the huntresses were like children without a guardian to watch them. Thalia kept them in line, she wouldn't hesitate to punish anyone who didn't obey the simple rules that Artemis had put down. Phoebe was second Lieutenant but even though she was the oldest, dating back as far as Zoe she still lacked the authority or even the will to lead everyone, keeping them in line but also make them have hope and not to hate Thalia like Zoe had been able to.

Piper couldn't control Drew; she's never been able to control her. The others she could get them to see reason but Drew was unwilling and stubborn. Drew hated the huntresses, especially the black haired green eyed Alex who was so lovely it was unfair. Drew could see when she had just gotten to camp how Silena was changing. Drew practically worshipped Silena but Silena never seemed to care, all she seemed to want to do is being with that beckendorph guy and befriend anyone who wasn't deserving of Aphrodite's love. That's when she befriended Alex the Victorian Huntress that had crossed a line, and that's when Drew couldn't stand to even look at the girl because she had betrayed there mother and more importantly herself. Who would ever dare to think an Aphrodite daughter would become a huntress to destroy all love that was good in this world. Drew hated Piper because Piper was becoming Silena; And Silena was dead now because of her choices, like befriending a child of the hunt that was no longer welcome to the Aphrodite cabin.

"Look, I loved Silena. You know that-"Alex started as her long braid was over her shoulder like usual.

"I don't understand why you keep using that word." Drew said glaring her down past pink eyeliner. "It's not like a huntress could feel the capability of love."

Alex rushed forward and pushed her which was interesting because Alex wasn't a hand to hand combatant, she was bow and arrow sharp shooter in Artemis's rank. "Why you little-"

Joseph from the Aphrodite cabin came forward and spat at Phoebe who turned on him with a knife at his throat. Then Lilly came forward and that's when all hell broke loose. Huntresses against Loves Children. There was cursing and clattering and violence everywhere. Somebody broke open a bottle of instant tease and everyone around that had gotten drenched in it stopped and were moony eyed.

Before anything real bad could happen like the special cupid arrows that some kid was ready to shoot at her huntresses Thalia rushed between all of them and with a flick of her spear she slammed it down, a giant crash of thunder and lightning above the clouds that had suddenly darkened. "Make one more move towards each other and I'll strike you down on the spot."

They all looked at the boy with dark hair, dark clothes and a strange attractiveness as he glared at each and every one of them. Drew and her sisters, and maybe a few of her brothers instantly fell in love. He was the one she had seen walking in the arena and had instantly caught her attention. There was something dark and tortured about him and she wanted to find out.

Phoebe knew it. That boy she had seen in the arena, with strange electricness, rash attitude and even a tinge of caring was her leader, Thalia. The eyes explained everything that was why he or she didn't turn around because she knew that the minute Phoebe saw her eyes she would know. But what was she doing being a man? Phoebe would have detested her if it wasn't for the fact under that layer of male was a strong independent girl.

Annabeth rushed over next to the strange dark boy. "What are you doing? I told you all to stay away and I thought you said you would be looking for Thalia." Annabeth played off her strong leader role and the also twinge of fright in her voice for her alleged missing best friend. "Percy's still missing, and Thalia and the others still haven't been found. I want you out there looking. Not fighting each other."

They all stared at Annabeth but eventually all the eyes lingered back to Thalia. Drew moved forward slowly calculating every step correctly as some of the huntresses back away from her with glares. She noticed Piper and Leo standing on either side of this new girl, the one who had been fighting the blond down in the arena. She wondered how Annabeth managed to find five new half-bloods who ranged from the age thirteen to seventeen and hadn't been eaten by then.

"Annabeth who's your new friends?" Drew asked and Annabeth new she was now playing a game of chess. One wrong move and Drew would find out and expose them all.

"This is Theo." Annabeth said putting a hand on Thalias tense shoulder. "His sister Jess is down with Hector with the horses, Hectors sister Nicki is in the big house, and Pearl is behind us with Rachel. There just visiting." Annabeth had this. She was going to win this game of wits. No Aphrodite kid had ever beaten her before and they certainly weren't going to do it today.

Drew grabbed Thalias arm, as she rubbed the leather of her jacket feeling her bicep arm. "So where you from?" Drew asked with a seductive voice which Thalia had to resist from shivering at.

Suddenly Reyna came bursting through the crowd. "Theo! Annabeth!" She pushed past Drew grabbing Thalias arm. "Chiron needs to talk to you as urgently as possible."

Annabeth saw how Reyna looked at them, she was saving them all. "Okay then. I don't want any more fighting. Hunters keep looking for the five, Aphrodite cabin get back to your normal schedule." Percy with Leo, Piper and Rachel followed Annabeth as they ran down to the big house.

Drew glared at Reyna, the roman who had decided to come to their camp instead of staying with her own kind. Reyna grabbed Theo's hand and they went running after Annabeth and her gang right past Phoebe who looked on. Something weird was happening but she would find out later.

They all reached the big house and then Annabeth looked at Reyna who had her special look that was very similar to Annabeth when she bested someone. Okay Annabeth didn't necessarily win the game because Reyna had which was like having an ally. "Thanks."

"Look I don't know what's happening but I also don't think I want to." Reyna said looking at all of them and then lastly at Theo who she was still holding his hand. This was odd but she felt connected to him somehow.

"Well thanks, you really saved us." Percy said as Leo and Piper promised to keep the camp from killing each other with Reyna's help. They went running up the hill and right as they passed Thalias tree Percy looked back. "I think she likes you."

"Don't make me gag." Thalia said as she looked over at her tree and the words she carved in to her tree that were now scars in her left wrist, a grave stone for someone she loved and missed.

They made it to the small garage that they kept near the street where Rachel stored her car. A red and black mustang convertible that Percy drooled over every time he saw it. "Can I driv-"

"No." Rachel said as she pulled out her keys.

"But-"

"Last time you drove, you nearly killed both of us." Rachel said turning on Percy. He looked guilty but they all got in as Percy sat in front with Rachel and Annabeth with Thalia in the back. She put the keys into the ignition and backed out of the garage. When they got the street and were off Rachel turned the radio on which just got Percy singing to one of his favorite bands.

"You know, I think I like you better as a girl." Rachel said as she joined in the singing and Thalia and Annabeth were now terrified of riding in the very nice car because Rachel wasn't really a better driver then Percy.

It took a while but they ended up finally getting into the city after having a few sing offs some conversations about best monster slaying techniques, prophecy drawings and slug bug games. By the time they reached the empire state building and got threw the traffic they were all famished which Thalia even if her body had changed her love for hamburgers had not.

They reached the street as New Yorkers moved along and they all looked around. Seeing how there was a battle, how that had happened there, he had died there, they killed that monster there. They could almost see the battle and it was all very sobering. Annabeth and Thalia remembered someone they lost, Percy remembered the heroes who fell helping him and Rachel remembered what became of all of them after.

They made it past the door man easily since Annabeth just had to pull out an official Olympian card and they went up the elevator she had to so often because she was still remodeling and adding making Olympus better than ever before. They got to the top and went walking down the bridge. Annabeth holding Percy's hand tightly remembering how she had nearly fell to her death. By the time they got to the court where Satyrs were carrying things for minor gods as they all busied away they noticed Hazel and Jason sitting at a fountain in the middle of the court.

Jason's still had his hair up in a ponytail, his shirt was a bit ruffled but otherwise he looked cool and collected. Hazel was watching the people around her as they moved on with their lives, as if the world hadn't just ended twice within two years. Both of them were eating fries and suddenly the others felt really hungry.

"How'd you get here so fast and where can I get those fries?" Rachel said as she took a few from Hazel. Rachel had gotten use to the fact that all the big three kids were apparently gender switched and complete weirdoes.

"Aron and some Satyr were passing them out." Hazel said.

"Where's Nico?" Annabeth asked as she looked around.

"Last I heard he was holding Travis and Connor over the edge of Niagara Falls." Jason said as he smoothed down his shirt and was still getting use to the curves of his hips. He was use to touching Pipers not his own.

"Okay whatever; I want to get changed back." Thalia said irritably as she made her way to the hall of the Olympians.

"Wait Thalia!" Someone yelled behind her but she didn't care as she made it past the other people and walking past the statues of the Olympians. Hera's looked down on her and she saw the flash of Annabeth and Percy in front of her, the statue falling over and her jumping forward pushing them out of the way instantly forfeiting seeing Luke one last time. She quickly shook that from her head as she continued on.

She ran up the steps knowing that everyone else was way behind her. She made it to the giant doors that were closed; with a sigh she pushed the heavy door open with her new found strength. That was one thing she would miss, the extra strength she got.

No one was around except one god who sat in her chair, intriguingly waiting for Thalia with her hand under her chin. "Hello Thalia." Then the doors slammed shut right as Percy and the others reached the other side unable to open them. Hera stood up and as she walked towards Thalia she grew smaller, she was clearly amused. "Enjoying the change?"

"Like hell." Thalia retorted.

"You deserved this one." Hera said as she was now the size of a normal woman.

"And I suppose you would say the same about the statue you dropped on me." Thalia glared.

"I was aiming for your friend but I suppose hitting you was a win."

All of Thalias frustration was coming back up. She could barely stand to be around this woman, she didn't understand how Nico did it with Persephone all the time. "Or taking away my brother and making me believe he died?"

"You should thank me for that really." Hera said. "After all when he was gone you left your abusive mother, and you found the Hermes boy." Thalia clenched her teeth. "And from then on Aphrodite took her plan from there. I gave you where you are now."

"What a boy in the hunters of Artemis?"

Hera rolled her eyes. "You are insufferable."

"And your devious-"

"Uh, uh uh." Hera shook her finger. "You do want to be turned back, am I correct?"

Thalia clenched her teeth, closed her eyes and then sighed. "Yes." She said very strained.

"Then you have to do one thing for me." Hera said, her gold and white dress fluttering around her like oil in water as she walked.

"And what is that milady." Thalia was losing it. She couldn't stand Hera and her games. After all she blamed a lot of her problems on this woman.

"You have to thank me for everything I've done for you. After all I am family. And Family is my domain." Hera turned to look at Thalia from the back.

"FAMILY?!" Jason heard this on the other side of the thick granite wall and he wondered what was happening in there.

"Annabeth, I love you but did you really have to make these doors so big and heavy?" Percy said as he slumped back after momentarily giving up from pushing his back against it to try to make it budge.

"I didn't. Hera said she wanted the old doors since she has to spend most of her time in there looking at them, so I let her replace them herself." Annabeth said as she studied the building a good twenty feet down the steps of the hall.

"You know nothing about family!" Thalia screamed.

"Excuse me?" Hera said turning on her.

"Your husband is unfaithful. You only have two sons and there both disappointments."

"I would nev-"Hera began before Thalia cut her off.

"You envy the others around you because there so much happier then you ever will be."

"You dare-" Hera looked at her ready to strike on the spot.

Thalia stepped forward. "Yes, I dare." Thalia whispered.

"Watch your tongue huntress, or should I even call you that? I'm surprised Artemis hasn't revoked your stature away now that you're male." Hera glowered.

"Maybe because she didn't know you're playing a dirty trick on one of her daughters, or maybe because she doesn't care, she knows you're going to have to turn us back eventually."

Hera laughed, her robes following behind her. "Artemis has no daughters."

"Not in the sense she birthed them. But family is more than blood."

"Marriage." Hera said quickly flicking her fingers.

"No. Family is what you make of it." Thalia said and she knew if Phoebe was here she would ask her why she was so dumb because at any second here she was about to striked down by a god. But like usual she didn't care.

Annabeth looked at the hall and she went through the plans she had made that were permanently stuck in her head. Something about the shape and the way she did it made her wonder.

"Heave!" Percy yelled as his cousins and Rachel pulled at the doors.

"Why are we pulling when they clearly open the other way?" Jason asked with a raised thin eyebrow.

"Because!" Percy yelled as he backed away and then went running forward. Hazel looked away right as he smashed face first into the door. "Don't do that." Percy said as he slumped down on the ground and raised a finger in the air.

"Good to know." Rachel said as she leaned against the door. It was no use. The only way they were getting in was if someone let them in or Annabeth found another way.

"I understand now." Thalia said as she moved to the water bubble floating the middle of the gigantic hall. Bessie saw her and instantly came towards her as she put her hand into the floating water and petted the sweet monster that she could have destroyed Olympus with a few years back.

"Understand what?" Hera huffed. This was not going as she expected. All she wanted was to be appreciated. But even this resilient girl wouldn't do it and she could so easily be killed.

"Why you hate me." Hera turned on her with a surprised look on her face since she hadn't been expecting this. Thalia looked at Bessie and Hera could see how the girl had changed with her time in the hunt, she no longer cared for power even when it was staring at her right in the face. "My father fell for a woman, not once but twice. He visited her often, more than he had done for anyone. You had to watch as his new daughter grew up and was not your own. When I found Luke and Annabeth I hadn't been broken like you expected but rather I found a new family I could depend on. And then even after I died and came back I found another one. I've had three families while you've barely had one."

"Perhaps." Hera said trying not to lose her anger.

"I have one question for you though." Thalia said as he looked at the back of the queen of Olympus.

"And that is?"

"Did you curse me?"

"I've got it!" Annabeth yelled as she remembered the little escape tunnel she had set up just in case.

"Got what?" Percy said rubbing his soar mouth.

"How to get in Seaweed brain." She said as she rushed off in a flurry of blond hair and Hazel looked over at Rachel before they both bolted after her. Jason grabbing Percy and finding his new feminine form way different now that they were beginning to really see the fighting difference.

"Yes. I did." Hera said quietly even though it still echoed off the doomed ceiling.

Thalia had been terrified this was the truth. She had been expecting it for a while but she was scared to find out and now that she knew it only made it worse. "Why do you hate me that much?"

"Because," Hera turned around and bit back at her. "No matter what happened to you, you always seemed too survived. Your mother abusing you, which I must say was a nice touch by me," Thalia stumbled back terrified that Hera had truly been the reason for all of her suffering, even when she was a child. "When Hades found out about you and sent his worst monsters after you, how do you think you just happened to run into a fury and she carried back the news to her master? When you meraculacly woke up from your tree just to be heartbroken that the only love your life had betrayed you. I however didn't' have anything to do with that, I did inform Aphrodite when you were born and she took a certain liking to you, especially when she forcefully made you fall in love with _him_. How when faced with the chance of power you turned down just so you could join Artemis's hunt that you had no interest in whatsoever. Even when I took Jason from you, you survived and found your happiness."

There was silence for a while as Thalia sunk down to the ground, Bessie mooing next to her.

"I hate you because no matter what I do, you can't be broken. I had practically driven Hercules insane by ruining his life. But not you, you're too strong."

"Okay the skirt was a bad idea." Percy said as he climbed through the tunnel Annabeth had made.

"Why do you think I never wear them?" Annabeth said as she looked back at four crawling behind her.

"Yeah, or me." Hazel said.

"Not really a valid reason considering you're a guy right now Hazel." Rachel said. This was one to draw when she got home. Percy had definitely opened a new world for her when he befriended her.

"Who knew Nico could take so long torturing two Hermes boys." Percy said.

"Keep going." Jason said pushing him from behind.

"Hey, no groping below the south equator!" Percy yelled

"Does it look like I care at this point? My hair is driving me nuts, now I understand why Thalia cuts hers so short." Jason said as he frustratingly blew his blond hair from his face when it wouldn't leave his face.

"Actually, Thalia cuts her hair so it won't be used against her. Plus like many birds she uses it as a way to intimidate the enemy." Annabeth said a matter of factly.

"I know she's the daughter of Zeus, lord of skies or whatever but did you just compare her to being a bird?" Rachel said as she continued to follow Annabeth in this cramped small space.

"Yeah, what's the matter with that?" Annabeth asked glancing back.

"I don't know, it's kind of weird. Like comparing me to some animal with red fur."

"Like a fox!" Hazel said.

"Yeah like a fox…" Rachel said monotone.

"What does the fox say?!" Percy sang before Jason grabbed his ankle and Percy fell on his face. "Okay no singing, gods."

"Besides Rachel, We sky children can speak to birds." Jason said as he began to follow Percy again when the kid began to crawl again.

"Oh that's so cool!" Hazel said amazed. "The only animals I can understand are the ones that are dead."

"That's pretty cool though. Have you seen what Nico can do with skeletons? Man I would trade that over hearing schools of fish, Schools of them worship me in two letter sentences." Percy said happily.

"Where is Nico?" Annabeth asked right as she reached the end of the tunnel and a shiny vent top was stopping her from getting to the other side. She slammed her palm against it once where it rattled and right when she was going to do it again the vent popped off and a hand was held out to her.

Tears streamed down Thalias face and she wondered what she looked like now that she was a boy. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"What?" Hera said turning on her after looking at something far off in the silence.

"I'm sorry." Thalia said louder. "I'm sorry for every non intentional thing I've ever done to you."

This only seamed to anger Hera even more. "You're lying!"

Thalia shook her head where her spiky hair on top fell in her eyes. "No, I'm not. I mean it. I'm sorry if I made you angry for just being born, but you really shouldn't be mad at me for that one. Maybe you're not mad at me; maybe you've been mad at Zeus and the others."

Hera thought about it, she did hate Thalia but strangely she was right she realized. No wonder she hated Thalia more than any of her husband's children, she was combining her frustration of her family and her natural dislike for sky spawns on this one girl. "Your right." Hera said with revelation on her face.

Thalia looked up and realized she had been in the same position as Reyna had been when she had been crying earlier with her arms crossed over her knees and her head in her arms. Hera looked as if everything had been opened up to her. "You're absolutely correct. How have I been so daft?" She asked herself and Thalia couldn't believe she had actually won.

"Nico!" Hazel said as she jumped on to her brother and his feminine form.

"Hey." He said with a smile trying not to fall backwards. He hugged her and it was odd but still familiar and it made it worth everything he had to sacrifice to keep his family safe. And that included his cousins.

"So where'd you dump the Stoles?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, down the Niagara, then Everest, and then- Nah, I threatened to drop them and might have slightly but I returned them back to their normal state, sort of."

Annabeth had a raised eyebrow as she looked at him. "Sort of?"

"Let's say they'll be terrified of the dark for the rest of their lives from now on." He said with his hands in his aviator jacket pockets.

"Poor Katie. You just made more work for her."

Nico shrugged. "He kissed my cousin without her consent, I take that as offensive."

Annabeth walked past him. "You aren't as dark as you think kid." Nico actually felt good about being called a kid, after all he was and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"It's okay. Family gets on each other's nerves sometimes." Thalia said as she got to her feet. "I remember Luke and I use to fight so much we use to be silent for a week towards each other. Or where Phoebe thinks she's an exception to the rules sometimes when Artemis is gone. Or even now, Jason still thinks I baby him because that's how I remember him, when really I do it because I care about him and the fact when he was growing up without me he never was treated that way. To the Romans it was die or don't die, no overprotection, or someone worrying if he was okay. Family is about being pissed off at the other but always being there when it matters."

"I have underestimated you step daughter. You can be very wise when you try." Hera said. "I am sorry for making your half-blood life that much harder." Hera walked towards the girl chained in another form.

"Thank you." Thalia said before the goddess touched her forehead with her finger. "Thank you for giving me my family." Hera's eyes shinned truly shocked and then she smiled which she had never expected to do around this girl.

Annabeth and the others came right around the back of the huge thrones of the god's right when Hera touched Thalia. Thalia gasped as her eyes and mouth flowed gold light and her back arched. Just then the others around Annabeth except for Rachel gasped and they stopped in their tracks. Annabeth and Rachel were blinded by gold light as they stumbled back.

When the light receded Annabeth took her hands from her eyes and looked around. In steaming heaps the big three kids began to regain consciousness.

"What- What just happened?" Hazel asked as she began to sit up from the floor not remembering that she fell in the first place. She rubbed her head right as Annabeth gasped, grabbed the hoodie from the ground and wrapped it around her. That's when Hazel realized her normal body was back and more importantly she was naked. She would have fainted if it hadn't been for Annabeth and her quick thinking.

"Sweet, I'm a dude again!" Percy said with a huge grin on his face as he rubbed down his nice flat chest and his muscles, not caring in the least that he was naked.

"Yes!" Jason fist pumped. "No more long hair!"

Nico sat up touching his face and his head. It wasn't the best but it was all he had and he was glad for it.

Rachel gasped as she covered her eyes and searched around the floor blushing a few times as she bumped into skin. Finally she threw what she had at them all. "Wrap these around before I die of embarrassment."

"You know you think we all look like Greek gods." Percy said with a smile at how he had gotten Rachel back for her scare on them earlier without even trying. Nico took his jacket and wrapped it around his waist and slid the band t-shirt he had been wearing before on, it was snug but it ultimately fit. Jason took Hazels t-shirt and slid that over his waist as she threw on her pants even if they were baggy on her. Percy slid the unbuttoned jean skirt over his waist even though now he could barely walk looking like a penguin with his waddle.

Annabeth saw Hera and her shimmering of her dress and that caught her attention of the naked girl on the granite floor who was still passed out. Annabeth ran over to Thalia sliding to her knees next to her scared that Hera had killed her. Annabeth had a grudge against Hera, just because the woman had tried to drop a statue on her when Annabeth didn't become one of her little pawns.

Thalias was on her right side, her left arm and leg slumped over her bare body, her black ragged hair covering her face. "Tali?" Annabeth asked shaking her lightly. "Thalia wake up." She was now terrified that she was dead. Could the Olympians take any more from her? They had already taken Luke and now they were threatening to take Tali.

With a gasp and startling blue eyes Thalia woke up. It reminded Annabeth of when she was resurrected from her tree. Thalia took some strained breaths and then finally she saw Annabeth in front of her. "Why so glum Annie?"

Annabeth laughed because Thalia was the only one who had ever called her Annie. In fact when Thalia had died she detested anyone calling her that, the same way Thalia despised when she was called Thal's which was Luke's nickname for her. "How many times do I have to tell you stop trying to kill yourself?"

Thalia pushed her hair from her face with a tired smile. "I'm sorry, I should know better to invite you along for the ride by now." They both smiled at each other. Thalia was so glad she was back to normal, more then you could believe.

Annabeth grabbed Thalias jacket and wrapped it around the ragged girl. Percy and the others made it over and with a quick change Percy was using Thalias pants and she was in his jean skirt, a much better fit for both of them.

They moved towards the gigantic doors and with a look back the Queen of Olympus was sitting on her throne contemplating things in her mind, without looking at them she flicked her fingers and the doors began to open. They made their way out of the hall of the Olympians with hardly a scratch even though they were exhausted and using each other as crutches.

With odd looks from everyone one down in the court and on the streets of New York they were able to make it to Rachel's car. Hazel whistled for Aron and with a huge flutter of wind the horse was there in the middle of the busy street. Hazel and Nico got on to Aron and then they sped off in a flurry. The rest of them crowded into the car.

Thalia instantly knocked out in the back between Percy and Jason, leaning her head on Jasons shoulder which he was all too happy to be there for her. He had heard her and what she said about why she treated him with over protection sometimes, it was because she cared, maybe too much but at least she did.

"I'm serious when I say I actually kind of miss the skirt." Percy said.

Rachel burst into laughter as she tried not to crash the car down the long back road to camp. "Don't worry; we can always dress you in drag if you like. I think with a little makeup and a wig we can get you to look like a girl again."

Annabeth groaned as she dug into Rachel's dashboard looking for something for her headache that had come back. Rachel looked over "What are you looking for?"

"A hammer so I can bash my brains out." Annabeth said as she looked at her back, unamused.

Rachel mouthed 'okay' when she redirected her line of vision back to the road.

They made it back to camp fairly well in the dark, climbing over the hill past Thalias tree and down to the big house before anybody noticed them. The three big kids that followed the other two who had showed up half dressed in random clothing and all looked exhausted. With some help Annabeth was able to get Percy and Jason into their cabins, Nico and Hazel were already in there's sleeping off there exhaustion.

Rachel and Annabeth carried Thalia with both of her arms around there shoulders to the hunters cabin. One of the girls who noticed her leader and the whole predicament opened the door for them. Artemis was sitting on Thalias bed waiting for the girl and she had known all along what had been happening.

"Lady Artemis." Rachel said respectively to the moon eyed, auburn haired twelve years old.

"Oracle Rachel. Maiden Annabeth." She said with a bow of her head in respect as they set Thalias unconscious body in bed. "Do you suppose I should tell her it was a dream or does that seem a little foolish?"

"Dream, I would go with it. She's been threw a lot lately. They all have." Annabeth said as she tucked the girl who had once protected her like a daughter, now it was the other way around. "I'll just tell them they got caught in the freak storm and that it was all a dream from the bad energy. And the others that knew about it I'll tell them to act as if it never happened. They'll never know."

"You are a smart one." Artemis stated. "Just like your mother."

"No." Annabeth said as she sat next to Thalia, her only real family. "I didn't just get it from her; I got it from the people I care about." She brushed the ragged strands of Tali's black hair from her face as she smiled contently.

"Family is what you make of it." Annabeth whispered right as she got up and left. How she knew that truth all too well. After all Thalia and Annabeth had learned that lesson the hard way.


	4. The Thief in the Night

Silena woke up with a start when a pulse from her wrist spread down her sleeping body. She woke up with a small gasp as her heart almost restarted from shock. She calmed herself down as she breathed smoother and more regularly.

She looked around her in the dark where only one piece of light from the lamp near the bathroom where at least one of her siblings was bound to get up could make there way there without tripping and waking everyone up. She sat up and looked again. Everyone was nicely asleep dreaming of happy things that she rarely got anymore.  
Her dreams always were about nothing, her being caught out in the middle of know where as sand blew around her blinding her. There was always somebody in a shadow standing in front of her yards and yards away but as she tried to make her way threw the sand storm she could never make out the face of the person in front of her. At first it was scary to her as it happened every night, but then it became reputation and she gave up thinking about it and just getting through the night without waking up and scaring everyone with her whimpering.  
But she hadn't woken from the dream of the sands of time she was stuck in forever; she had woken up from the pulse of the bracelet she just so happened to fall asleep with. The scythe charm bracelet was pulsing steady and it only meant one thing. Luke was visiting.  
She got nervous every time he made a face to face visit to her. She had no love for him anymore, no matter how much she was suppose to follow by her mother's example she just couldn't forgive him for what he's forced her to become. And tonight it was even worse for him to come. Especially since the incident-  
She had after all had her suspicions that he would come but she never thought he had the guts to actually come into camp where if he was caught he could be killed. But then again it was Luke, and if he didn't have the sense of nearly getting killed every so often he wouldn't be himself anymore.  
The bracelet began to pulse more and more like it was urging her to get her butt out of bed and do what it was asking. She slid her legs out of her comfortable bed and padded her way to the front door in nothing but cotton shorts and a pink tank top. She grabbed her flip flops just as she closed the creaky screen door and made sure none of her siblings noticed her leave. All they did if they did anything was roll over in there beds to a different side or let out a soft grunt in there comfortable sleep.  
The night air was nice and cool but it was still summer air, but it seamed much sweeter then it had ever before. Breathing in the night as the stars twinkled high above like they were rejoicing in the return of an old friend, in which in some ways they were. Even the night owl cooed lively somewhere deep in the woods as it told its other friends that there mistress had returned.  
Silena knew exactly why Luke was here and she was going to do everything she could to get him to leave. What he was planning was horrible and selfish and it would just end in disaster. She knew he was so terribly lonely, even when she had been so naive and had been dating him he looked at her with a sadness that could never be filled and it made her feel so inadequate with herself. Not anymore, she didn't care if he threatened charley; a person she so deeply cared for but never knew if he felt that way towards her. She wouldn't let anymore hurt happen to anyone else.  
She walked past the big house where she could hear some pacing coming from inside as a faint light happened deep within, the clip clop of hooves as a troubled centaur went over the worried thoughts that always consumed him deep in the dead of night where he was the most alone in the world. Silena knew this somehow; she suspected she was empathetic like a super hero because she was always so in depth with others feelings and she could even tell what they were thinking once in a while somehow sometimes. But what was that worth now as she was nothing but a traitor to everyone who considered her a friend when she knew she had doomed them to death.  
She walked up the hill and she could see the tree she so deeply resented and was scared from. After all only a few days before it had performed the most magical thing it had done since the day it was created with a sacrifice of love.  
Around was the battle sight of the attacks the monsters had created as the campers had barely kept the camp safe before Clarisse came back running up the hill where she placed the fleece on to the almost totally dead pine tree where the tree began to grow green again as if sucking up some kind of miracle grow Demeter had created herself. The needles returned fully green again on to the tree as the trunk and the moss covering it reached full healthy color and then a giant pulse of energy spread across the valley spreading as one shield destroying any monster trying to get in. It was one of the most powerful things Silena had ever felt, the power of the pine tree had radiated straight threw her where she had to clutch her heart from the impact and slow the rate down. All the campers who had been fighting along side her had stopped for a few minutes silent as they felt the same power of the tree and the fleece reach into them and give them something that they had thought had been long gone, hope.  
Now as she walked back to the scene of the crime she could see Luke kneeling with his forehead up against the trunk as he had a hand against it, connecting with it in a level Silena had never seen before. The funny thing was anyone could go up to the tree but nobody really dared to touch it afraid that if they did they would be doing something damnable of the fields of punishments. The only people who had ever were Annabeth who would lean against it like it was her friend and read her books out loud to it, this tree was a tomb that had been dug up. The only other person was Luke who mourned the person he had loved so deeply that it had nearly killed him, in fact Silena knew, she absolutely knew that the day Thalia died part of him, maybe the compassion and trust part of him had died along with her.  
Now as she walked up to him she could make out the leg of one of the poor kids guarding the fleece who had been knocked out by a expert swordsman and just lying there unconscious. She looked above and she could still see the fleece glittering even now under the moonlight. She had expected him to steel it, after all he was a Hermes boy and the fleece was the jackpot beyond any one before. But it looked like he hadn't even touched it much less looked at it.  
"Don't do this, your just hurting yourself more. You know that right?" Silena said as she looked him dead on with no fear but straight up braveness and nerves. Her arms were crossed and her legs pressed together so she wouldn't back down.  
He didn't look up from the touch with the tree but she could see the wear of torture Kronos had been putting him threw since he failed another mission. "You don't know how many times I've dreamed of this night." He finally said. When she didn't say anything back to him he looked at her with those deceptive blue eyes that shinned in the moonlight like silver coins. They were rimmed with red and small tears threatening to spill over she could barely make out. He was so venerable that it broke her heart. Luke never made himself vulnerable; in fact he made sure he was covered in nothing but armor. But there was always one kink in every chain mail that could break the whole thing.  
"He always told me that if I could dream of it I could have it. You should know." Silena did know and no matter how much she wanted something she didn't _disserve_it, she knew that much and she suspected Luke knew that too. "I've dreamed of a lot of things but this, her, that was the biggest of them all. Maybe it was because I feel like I failed her, maybe it's because it's impossible and we always want the impossible or maybe it's because I just fell in love too quickly with someone I shouldn't have. All I know is he gave me her back and I'm here to take her home."  
"How do you know if this isn't her home already? After all she died protecting-"  
"She died for nothing." He snarled at her where she backed up afraid of him as he rose to his feet looming over her. "She was sick of running, she was sick of every immortal wanting her like some sick prize. All she ever wanted was a home, like me." He pointed to himself half illuminated and the other half dark. He looked so sickly and shaken up by she knew from experience the dreams. "She wanted someone to love and care for her, not because she was some special daughter of Zeus or the prophecy child. And I gave that to her, and she gave that to me. And I'm here to take her back to where we belong."  
"And you think that's under Kronos's rule? If you bring her back with you and that's even saying if she chooses to go with you under her own free will, she's still going to become the prophecy child. You didn't give her choice when you let her be resurrected. And wasn't that one of her last choices when she decided to die to save you and Annabeth, She didn't want to be this, you said it yourself. " her voice got softer and softer as she spoke.  
He sighed and his shoulders tensed under stress. "He told me it would all work out," He gritted his teeth and fire rose in his normally so calming eyes. "But Jackson had to come along and ruin it all like he always does. Kronos could be resurrected by now you know."  
How Silena knew he could have been, but then again she had always been rooting secretly for Percy, every time if it meant Kronos lost. Silena couldn't help but ask him something that she knew if Kronos was listening to could get him in trouble. "Which one would you rather have back? Him or her." Hatred or Love.  
A minute went by and then he spoke with tiredness and stress. "Thalia, I'll always pick her over anyone… well except Annabeth but that's only because I had promised them both at one time and another I would keep her safe."  
"Well what about Annabeth? She won't go with you. And you can't make her; it has to be her choice."  
"She'll make the right choice in the end." He said mystically as he walked away from her back to his sword point that was dug at the base of the giant tree above both of them. He pulled it out like Excalibur as if he was King Arthur, but no matter how much he fit the looks of the role he was no just King. Just a lonely bitter boy who wanted so much he should have had but never got. "Take me to go see her."  
"No." She stood her ground.  
"What?" He turned around and he was nothing but the arrogant leader of an evil army.  
"I said no. I'm not going to take you to go see that poor girl when she's gone threw enough already." She stayed planted to the ground as if she was the one who grew roots into the ground.  
He rushed up to her grabbing her arm forcefully. "You'll take me to her now or I'll go looking for her now. And I won't be afraid to slaughter whoever I happen across, and that includes your precious Boyfriend." He was nothing but a dark Prince.  
"He's not my boyfriend." She shied away from him ashamed of herself. "And it's not like you would do it anyways."  
He chuckled once ruefully. "I'm not that kid you use to know Silena. I don't save people from monsters, I don't go on quests, and I don't kiss the baby's and wear cape's acting like a pawn for those lazy worthless gods. I get things done, and if that means I have to kill the few that get in my way, then I'll do it for the bigger picture. You should be on my side anyways, you know when Kronos will be back on his thrown it will be the promise land for us and we can have anyone by our sides." He got this distant look as if he was seeing it all now right in front of him.  
"You know I don't dream like you, Luke. What happens if Kronos is just using us, using you, because I know he's using me. Then what?"  
He thought for a moment but his angry expression came back and he glowered at her letting her arm go and pushing her slightly away from him in disgust. "Take me to her now."  
Silena thought for a moment but she knew by the strength of Love and Luke's persistence he wouldn't leave in till someone found out about both of them being up here so she came up with an agreement. "I'll take you to go see her but there's something you have to promise me before I do."  
He gave her a cocky look. "And what's that Princess?"  
"You won't wake her; she won't even know you were here. You can't ask her to come with you or take her by force because it's her choice. I'll let you see her, but in the end you will have to leave without her. Deal? Swear on it."  
He clenched his jaw but then he let out a sigh "Okay, I swear on the river styx."  
Silena's shoulders slumped as she felt her stomach knot up. She didn't know if she could trust him but she would have to try. "Well come on then." She began to walk down the hill using the moon as her only light in this strangely dark and bright night. He followed close behind her.  
They walked past the big house and threw the forest being careful as the harpies were roaming right now and how Silena hadn't ran into them before was a miracle. "Is she okay? Has she asked about me or anything?" He asked very timidly in a way made him almost human again.  
Silena smiled because she knew exactly how dedicated he was to the people he loved. Without looking at him and still crossing the edge of the forest she nodded. "The night she came back everyone was so shocked. People were freaking out and nobody got any sleep for the rest of the night. Annabeth was going insane as she almost went into shock; it was like she couldn't in anyway comprehend what had happened; even after Thalia had woken up. Percy and Chiron took Thalia to the hospital ward as she was barely able to say her own name much less walk. I don't know exactly what happened in there but at some point around mid-day she ran out as if she was being chased; she went back to her tree and it took Annabeth a while to get her to come back to camp. They went back to the ward where Annabeth spent the rest of the second night with Thalia. Then the next morning they took her to the cabin that is rightfully her's."  
"The father that never cared about her." Luke muttered darkly.  
Silena cleared her throat uncomfortable. "Yeah, well when Percy and Annabeth aren't checking up on her with Chiron to help, I am." She glanced back and Luke had an indifferent look on his face as he just kept following her threw the forest that he probably knew better then her. "They try to get her to do stuff but I don't think she's ready for it. All she ever does is lay in this subatomic state unable to even uncurl herself up from the cot she's created in this old alcove out of the sight of her father's statue. She's depressed and sometimes I'm scared she'll do something dangerous because she just has that wild untamable look. The whole rebel-"  
"Ha. Rebel is one way to put her. You've never seen her do anything stupid have you?" Silena looked at him and he just gave her this look that pretty much summed up the 'What do you think? I did say depressed' look. "Just wait, some times it's unbelievably how rash and stupid she can be. Like one time she edged on this snow deity, and got locked in a case of ice. By the end of the night she was striped down to nothing but her necessaries and talking to your mother. Another time she felt the need to bring down my big head so she challenged me to a duel."  
"Oh my gods," Silena said appalled."Please don't tell me you hurt her did you?" Luke was the best swords man in hundreds of years, or so Chiron had said before. No one had ever beaten Luke except Percy but she guessed he had help.  
"Oh no, She beat me. I mean unfairly but she still had me going for a while. In fact she taught me a few things." He said and Silena couldn't help but remember a time when Luke and her use to talk like this, never about Thalia but still they use to talk somewhat.  
"Like?" Silena asked. They could have been at there destination by now but now they were just wandering over the camp land looking at everything in a new light, under the moonlight to be in fact.  
"That I need to pay more attention to my foot work then to my actual swinging of a sword. That you should never battle the girl you like because she can use it against you ruthfully. And lastly after she falls off a dock to the storming seas that will purposely kill her because she's the daughter of the sky in water, after you save her you have to let her win to make her feel better."  
"So you let her win?" Silena asked as they jumped over a fallen tree.  
"I was in nothing but my shorts by then and she's seen more of me then just that, plus she was in a near death experience." He shrugged. "She got a kick out of my almost full nakedness being in only my boxers, she even took a picture. I still have all the photos she's taken."  
"It sounds like you were perfect for each other." Silena said feeling so much better that she was reuniting two wayward lovers again, even if one would never know.  
"In some ways yes, but in others not really. We use to fight a lot too. She's always been very moody, like a sunny day turned hurricane suddenly. And I've guessed my daddy problems always have made me bitter, even back then. If she didn't like what I said she would always speak her mind and put me in my place, and I guess I've never really had anyone to do that to me before. I appreciate it now, but back then I was stupid and would say stupid stuff back to her that would really hurt her. Sometimes it would take a lot of re-compensation to make it up. Other times I had to have Annabeth speak to her because she wouldn't talk to me. God's I missed her." He sighed and Silena followed his straight gaze as they both stared at the giant Museum like Cabin one stand solidly ahead of them both.

"This is it." He muttered as he walked forward past Silena and for a moment she could see the hero in him. Just a flash of the old him.  
He was shaking like a leaf but he kept a steady walk towards the regal cabin like he was headed to his death. Silena could not even imagine what this was like. She could remember all the romance novels and supernatural love novels she's read, and none of them were of a boy loosing his best friend and having her return on an evil twist that would just kill both of them in the end. Then again why would anyone write a book about that?  
He walked up the steps as the two white pillar columns towered over both of them unwelcoming both of them. Silena felt guilty, more then guilty when she stepped on the granite floor, but she did it continuously for the past couple of days because Thalia was in there and she refused to come out for anything.  
Silena hated her, she got everything and she wanted none of it. But when she thought of that she felt horrible because Thalia knew who she was and kept true to that even as she died protecting more then just two half-bloods. Silena didn't know who she was anymore but she knew she owed Thalia in some way.  
Silena remembered how hot it was that day. It was at least a hundred degrees and a hellhound had been chasing her and her Satyr TJ all threw the night. Neither of them were fighters and all they could do was run. The worst part was that Silena had found out she was a demigod only a few days before so she was so confused about everything. She saw the tree and TJ urged her to run past the tree and to camp where she obliged all too happily. She ran up the steep hill under the blazing sun following her Satyr. But she fell right before she could reach the tree and as she backwards crawled over the invisible protective wall the hound stroke but hit the wall and burst into a column of flame then dust only an inch from her. Luke had shown up by then brought by TJ, he picked her up since she had sprained her ankle and carried her to the big house where Chiron would tell her who she was and what had saved her by the Grace of gods.  
Ever since Thalia had woken up, Silena had been repaying a debt that would never be for filled. And as Luke took off his shoes he made Silena follow in his example, he was doing everything possible just so he could see her. She wondered if Charlie, if he ever loved her, would go threw hell to bring her back to him like Luke had done for Thalia. Perhaps hell wasn't the right word for it, how about selling your soul to the devil. Well maybe Charlie didn't have to do it for her because she had done it for him.  
He touched the door and static electricity spread from the door knob in a way only a mastered Hermes child could do with there powers. He crept forward with the door and then he stood straight up as he caught a glimpse of something, or someone. A gasp fell from his breath and for once Silena saw Luke in another light.  
"Thals." He said once as one tear fell from him and he rushed forward. Silena went grabbing for him to stop him but she wasn't fast enough for the agile boy. He slid to his knees and under the occasional lightning coming from the sky of the high ceiling of the cabin she could see the heart he said he didn't have anymore bleeding again.  
Thalia lay curled up in a ball in the alcove, if you didn't know where to look you probably wouldn't be able to find her. She had cried herself to sleep, again. She would never admit it, if you could get her to talk but you could always tell with the smeared makeup and her blue eyes being so gray, almost darker then any of the Athena children. Silena had never seen anyone's eyes change like her's did, well except for Percy but his really only changed when he was angry like the seas.  
"No, Luke you promised." Silena warned right before he could touch the unaware girl.  
He stopped right before he could touch her face with his outstretched fingers that tingled nearly touching her. Silena looked at his frozen hand as it trembled under the flashes of lightning up above. Using all the strength he had he pulled his hand away, his muscles straining from touching her like they were magnets pulled together.  
A flash of lightning struck and Silena was terrified that Thalia would wake up but all she did was let out a distressed groan as if she was having a bad dream and she turned her head towards Silena, her eye lids barely open fluttering a bit and a tiny separation of her lips as her messy hair fell to the pillow underneath her.  
One strand fell across her face in sleep and Luke leaned forward and tucked it lightly using the tips of his fingers behind her ear. "Beautiful." He said mesmerized at her. Silena felt a horrible stab somewhere in her chest, because he had called her that a few years ago but he had never said it so convincingly, or maybe it's because he didn't need to convince anyone Thalia was beautiful because he knew it with all of his heart.  
Silena wish, oh Gods how she wished, how she prayed to her mother to let her have something as sweet as true love. She had studied it her whole life whether she knew about her godly linage or not. She had never been able to fall in love with anyone, she had tried with Luke but there was always Thalia that was holding him back and that always made Silena angry. And now she was in love with a Hephaestus boy who didn't even know she was alive. Maybe she was cursed or maybe she was born to the wrong god. But what child didn't feel that way right now? After all the war had started because of that.  
Thalia let out a small moan and then an almost inaudible "Luke." Silena froze dead silent as Luke did the same just staring at the girl as the stormy ceiling thundered quietly. She was still asleep to Silena relief.  
"I'm here, don't worry. I'll never leave you." Luke whispered to her as he stroked her head softly and leaned forward. Silena would have yelled at him or yanked him away but either one would have woke her up so she froze again in silence. He kissed her on the forehead ever so lightly. "I love you." And then he kissed her on the lips barely.  
As he sat up a sweet smile rose on her lips in a way Silena never thought possible. Thalia was always so unhappy, angry at the world for chewing her up and spitting her back, Taking everything she had and giving her nothing back as she put it when she told Silena to go away and leave her alone. Now she was happy and it almost didn't fit on her.  
Sobbing came from him as he gritted his teeth trying to silence himself. He struggled to keep silent as he stared down helplessly at his best friend who he had lost so long ago. "I've never given up, and I never will."  
Silena knew that he was going to break down and she wanted to spare the humility he would feel later for crying in front of her even though she thought it was better he was letting out more then just anger and resentment all the time. Sometimes you just needed to cry, it was healthy for you. She took his arm and at first he shook her off but then when she tried again he let her take him.  
She led him slowly from the sleeping girl as not to wake her but he gasped softly and pulled away. He pulled a locket with a silver chain from his pocket and looked at it shaking. It was a heart pendent with a mixture of fascia, blue, black and pink night dotted with the twinkling stars as a luminescent moon was to one curve of the heart, and it was so real as if someone had put the real night sky of long ago on to it. On the back he turned it around and Silena gasped where she covered her mouth as not to let a sound go again. The back was carved with the words _Love Triumphs All_ on it in cursive. It was so similar to her mothers saying except it was conquer not triumph; She knew this because it was written above the door on her cabin where everyone could see it. But as she thought about it conquer and triumph were similar but different. You couldn't have Triumph without Conquering first.  
Luke took the locket and kissed it once as a tear fell from his cheek to the smooth metal of the locket. He quietly walked up to Thalia and placed the locket in the pocket of her leather jacket that was to the side rumpled on the floor. He took her blanket and wrapped it lightly around her more, she was still smiling and he was still crying. He wiped away the loose tears from his eyes and smiled weakly down at her and then he walked away where Silena was waiting.  
It was beginning to lighten up as streaks of white and yellow streaked across the sky and the birds began to wake up. Still too early for anyone to wake up but too late for Luke to still be here.  
They rushed back to Thalias tree where he had left the poor guard kid there knocked out. Silena didn't know what he was going to do but as he walked up the hill he began to running up to the tree. He grabbed his sword as he ran and reared it back ready to slash at the trunk of the tree in pure rage.  
"NO!" Silena yelled as she ran after him. She took her flip flops she hadn't put back on and chucked them at him where it hit him directly in the back of the head, Wow she had never had such good aim before.  
He dropped backbiter and fell to his knees right as he made it to the base of the tree. He fell right on to the tree, his hands above his weighed down head as he clutched at the moss and ridges of the bark. He shook and was silent for so long Silena was scared he had gone into shock but then his head fell back and he screamed into the early morning air. Birds flew off into the yellow sky and the tree shuttered almost as if sensing him.  
Silena looked around franticly scared that Chiron who has probably been awake all night would hear and then they both would be caught. She rushed over to him and put an arm around his tense shoulders. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay."  
"No. It's not okay. And it never will be." He said looking at her with bags under his red eyes, the gold from his skin drained and hundreds of bruises scattered across his arms. Now that she could see him clearly he looked horrible, more then actually. "You know I probably wouldn't even have gotten mixed up with Kronos if Thalia had just lived. We could have stayed at camp together, helped raise Annabeth. She would have already fulfilled this stupid prophecy the Gods unfairly put on her, on me. Zeus would bow to her, bow to his own daughter; and then he'd see what it's like to be forgotten. All of them would, even my father. He would pay what he's done to my mother and me."  
Silena was for a loss of words. What could you say to someone who had so much hatred in there heart they could never be persuaded to think otherwise? Nothing that's what.  
"He has another plan. I could do it now, but she would never go; Even if it was me taking her. She's too protected here, I need you to suggest to Annabeth about school. A boarding school in Brooklyn. Annabeth would love it, and Chiron would force Thals to go with her to let her mind wonder in things that don't involve her future. From there the plan will develop. Take this," He handed her a brochure. "Come up with some believable story of how you got this and suggest it to Chiron, show him how it would help Thalia from her depression and give Annabeth a learning opportunity she's been dying for. He'll cave, I know it."  
"And if he doesn't?"  
"Then I'll just have to come back."He grabbed backbiter, spun him around once so Silena backed up. He sliced at the air so quickly that it split and a dark portal of shadows appeared ready to take him away. He turned around to look at Silena, his eyes shinning. He swallowed hard "I never thought I would ever see her again. Thank you." And then he back stepped into the portal and it spun over him in till there was nothing but morning air where he had been standing.  
Gratitude, which was a new one for him. Silena had never seen him give gratitude to anyone, at least not true gratitude. He was a perfect liar, almost as good as she was. He was always perfect at camp in till he came out and Percy told everyone who Luke truly was. Before that he had always been able to lie to people that he valued them as friends when he was just using them, like he was using her now.  
She sighed rubbing her eyes as now she could feel the sleepless night weigh on her. She looked down at her bracelet disgusted; she took it and shoved it in a pocked of her sleeping shorts in case someone noticed the scythe on it. Better safe then sorry.  
She began to walk down to the camp, particularly the big house when the guard kid, Silena could have sworn his name was Johnny or something and he was an Apollo kid; He woke up and came screaming as he ran past Silena barely giving her a second glance.  
Crap, if he had seen her talking to Luke everything could be ruined. What would they do to her if they found out about her being a traitor? Would they torture for information she doesn't have? After all Luke hadn't even told her Kronos's next plan, just what she was suppose to do, she never asked knowing she didn't want to know.  
She ran after him and found him outside the big house going a mile a minute as he went over what he remembered, and for all Silena knew is that that could be anything. She looked petrified at Chiron and Johnny in till Chiron saw her and waved her over.  
Terrified she walked over, a cold sweat had accumulated on the back of her neck and her heart was pounding a mile a minute. "Silena, you've been up for a while. Have you seen any trespasser? Any glimpse of anything unusual." So he didn't know about Luke or her talking to anyone. She could read his body language and emotions well.  
She looked at Chiron and slumped so not to seam so shocked, she yawned once playing her role off well. "No, but I found him sleeping on the job." She batted her eye lashes a few times and rubbed her eyes as if she was coming out of a deep sleep and was still waking up. "I wouldn't blame him you know, Last night was really nice and everything, it was so lulling. Plus it's been one heck of a week. Anyone would have fallen asleep and had dreamed of stuff."  
"But I didn't dream this. I swear, Luke Castellan was here at camp." Johnny protested.  
"You must be thinking of a time when Luke was here along time ago, you know before he became a traitor…" She became silent thinking about herself and how she was exactly him only she still was hurting her friends, at least his was like ripping a band-aid off quick her's was torturously maddening. "I haven't seen anyone unusual all night."  
"So what were you doing up so late Silena?"Chiron asked. Her heart spread up but she kept it cool.  
"I had a bad dream, and I couldn't seam to fall asleep afterwards. So I took a night walk. I know I know I could have gotten eaten by the harpies but there was no way I could stay in my cabin. The night was really nice, and now I'm tired and I think I'll go get one hour of sleep before I have my cabin duties to do." She yawned and this time she didn't fake it.  
She gave one last smile to Chiron who looked settled on the fact that nothing suspicious had happened last night and that Johnny had just fallen asleep and dreamed of something ridiculous. Johnny shook his head looking uncertain under his helmet where there was a dent from Luke's hilt, but he just brushed it off as an attack at one of the capture the flag games. He yawned shrugged and went to go shower before anyone could steal the showers.  
She went back to her cabin, fell right into her bed with her pillow over her head and stayed there even after she was suppose to be leading her cabin to breakfast, or cleaning out the stabled and feeding all the horses. Chiron let her duties slide for the morning since she had been up all night pretty much guarding the fleece since others couldn't be trusted. She was okay with this lie for once because she needed the sleep.


	5. The Blessing

Percy wasn't expecting much on August 28th just that he was expected in a few days to change his calendar. But that idea was changed when somebody burst into his cabin practically breaking down his door and heading straight for him. Needless to say after he had finished the Titan war just a few weeks before be was well prepared for an attack when he was sleeping.

He jumped up clicking Riptide but even before he could see his attacker it was parried from his hand in a way that had only been matched by one other person and he was dead now. He felt the surge of water from the fountain near him in his cabin and he was ready to attack even if he didn't have a weapon before he realized the attacker's silhouette of the early morning sun came flooding behind them.  
The attacker was lithe, strong and clearly a girl with her natural curves. "Thalia?" He asked totally off guard as he dropped the water surging from the fountain and stared at her as she came into focus. She was glaring at him with her spear in her hand, her circlet glistening from the sun with sharp light of silver and gold and her spiky hair freshly cut so it was close to her head instead of ragged and nearly down to her shoulders like the last time he had seen her at the battle right before she took a statue for Annabeth and him nearly killing her. "What are you doing here?"  
She didn't say a single word as she grabbed him harshly by the hair and dragged him out with a yell of surprise from him. He hurried after her, head dipped to the ground painfully as he held on to her strong grip on his hair. You would think with the invincibility it wouldn't hurt that much but it did, a lot.  
"Ow, Ow, Ow, Thalia where are you taking me?" He yelled still trying to keep up with her long strides.  
"You'll see." She growled as she still pulled him along past the other sleeping cabins, the creek and on. He stumbled trying not to trip on the foliage they passed by and trying not to wreak any more of Thalia fury on him. She was scary enough in a good mood.  
Finally he realized where they were going in till she flung him forward on to the ground as she let go of his soar hair. He was on his knees at the foot of a huge pine tree; a candle was lit at the base of it behind two huge roots.  
He stared at it with confusion and then he turned to look at his cousin. "A candle? You woke me up at gods knows how early to see a candle?"  
She rolled her eyes clenching her teeth. "Gods you're an even bigger idiot then I thought. Open up your eyes to the world around you smart one. I swear I don't know how you've survived this long."  
"At least I didn't die then come back." He retorted in a mumble and he knew she had heard him but wasn't going to do anything about it since she was already glaring at him with impatience and anger. He turned to look at the lit candle and he saw that it was chocolate chip smelling, odd, most people like something a little bit more fragrant or at least flowery. But then he guessed that's not what she was meaning as in open his eyes. So he looked around the candle and then finally he noticed the words carved into the base of the trunk.  
I Will Wait.  
It was written in Greek and clearly with something small but sharp, like a knife or even a dagger. He reached out to touch the newly carved words on the bark of the tree but the second he did he got a hiss from behind as he reithdrew his hand startled.  
"Don't touch it. It still hurts." Thalia said as she cradled her wrist where on the left inside had the words red and bloodied inscribed in the same handwriting. He saw it and something connected that this was horrifying to him before he looked down at his fingers that had touched the bark and they were red as if he had touched Thalia's arm instead.  
He looked up at her and then back at the bark, then at his fingers again and then finally back at her with the same shocked look on his face. "Yeah, I know." She said looking down at him.  
"You mean-"He said looking back at the tree and then back at her. "This whole time?"  
"If you mean that if somebody really wanted to kill me all they had to do was cut down my tree, then yeah, it's been like this since I woke up and probably will be in till the end of time." She looked like she accepted this extra weirdness that even Percy who had fought the weirdest of all Greek lore was finding this the most horrifying.  
"But- So that's why you knew to come?" He said as he looked at the carving right above the candle and the ragged carving of the letters in the bark and how it didn't ooze sap but glistened with blood.  
Thalia moved next to him kneeling next to a root that she was apparently still connected with. "Mhmm. I woke up last night with a searing pain in my wrist, as such." She lifted her wrist. "I saw the words as they were still being written in my flesh and it scared the hell out of me and I knew that someone was doing it to my tree so with barely a nod to Artemis she let me come home. I saw it for myself and that's when I went to get you."  
"But what do you want me to do? Go investigate like Sherlock homes or something so see what stupid camper did it?"  
"Oh I know who did it. I'm surprised that you- Actually I'm not really." She said looking over at him as she took the candle and walked away with it. He stood up and he watched as she watched the flame as she walked around with it in her hands and many things seemed to pass by her mind. "It's Annabeth. I thought she would do something like this but I never really thought-"  
Percy nearly jumped out of his shorts, which to his embarrassment were the only things that he was wearing when she said Annabeth's name. "What did she do?" he asked concerned. He was ready to storm any castle as long as it meant his princess would be safe, even though he knew that she could do that herself.  
Thalia looked over at him with this look that said something between understanding, shock and approval. "You love her don't you?"  
This caught him off guard but he stood up and said his answer from the heart. "Yes. I would die for her if it meant it would keep her safe."  
"Even if she did something so horrible as in bringing somebody back from the dead, somebody she cared for even more then you?" Thalia looked at him and somehow he always found her electric blue eyes like knives as if they could peer into him and cut him open to tell the truth.  
He told the truth as if her eyes were forcing him to. "I will ALWAYS love her. Even if she committed the worst crime on earth and Olympus. Even if she loved somebody instead of me. If it made her happy I would suffer and die for her because I love her that much." He didn't understand why this was coming up.  
Thalia looked down at the candle then up at him as the sun shinned brightly hitting her making her glow in silver and gold colors with her ragged black look underneath. She looked at him with a simple smile which was rare for her anymore, especially since practically everyone she had ever cared about was dying on her. "You passed. I give you my blessing to date her."  
"Wait what?" he said with a screwed up face and a confused head.  
"You idiot, I was testing you to see if you deserve her." Thalia said as she pushed past him to her tree setting the candle down at the base of the words on the tree. "I don't care if you are the prophecy kid or my cousin, she's my little sister and I promised someone that I would always protect her. And that includes from the guys she dates."  
He looked at her back where she crouched down at the candle still watching the flame. "So you did the whole Father with the shiny gun interrogation thing to see if I should be dating Annabeth? "  
"To an extent yes." Thalia said looking back at him with a shrug of her silver jacket.  
"You freaking carved a saying into your wrist. How insane are you?!" He said finally losing his cool realizing he had just gone through this scare to see if he should be dating Annabeth or not.  
She turned on him with annoyance. "Watch what you say, remember I'm still older."  
"Not really."  
"Oh yeah?" She said with a raised eyebrow at him. "I was born first, I was reborn older then you still, I am Immortal and even though I don't age physically I still learn faster than you and will keep doing so even after your nothing but ashes. Remember cousin, you respect your elders I'm sure your mom has beat that into your head."  
"At least I won't be celebrating my ten thousandth birthday and still not be able to drive." He grumbled.  
He expected her to punch him or at least glower at him but that didn't happen, instead he got a laugh from her. "Okay, maybe your right. But only this once." She pointed her finger at him still smiling.  
"You know, you should smile more often. It's nice." He said simply realizing it and also realizing that Luke had thought the same thing years before about her.  
She looked down with a slight blush on her cheeks as she involuntarily would have pushed a strand of hair behind her ear if she hadn't cut it. She coughed. "Um, Thanks." She said awkwardly.  
"So…" He began. "I have your blessing. Now what?"  
She rolled her eyes which took the blush right off her face but not the good natured smile. "Go have fun, take her on a picnic under the sea or something, I don't know. If you haven't noticed I'm a Huntress," She pointed to her circlet on her brow. "I don't know much about dating."  
He looked down at her wrist that was still glistening with blood and the chocolate scented candle. Chocolate Cookies had been Luke's favorite, three people knew that and it clearly wasn't from Annabeth, they had established that. The whole thing felt like a grave stone.  
"Why did you carve that into yourself?" He asked.  
She looked down at her wrist and then over at the carving in the bark of the tree. "Because that was the last thing I told him before-"She trailed off and Percy knew she meant before she was killed in that very spot she stood. "I think he would have said it to me if I had been there for his death." She sounded sad and vulnerable and that was a new one for his cousin. "But things happen, and I need to learn to let go. After all I have too long to live to keep a grudge. Learned that one from Nico the hard way."  
Percy nodded. "So are we good here?" He felt Awkward about all of this suddenly but he was dead tired still even after so many weeks after the war. Invulnerability made you extra tired especially when you push yourself like he had.  
She sat down between two roots where Percy somehow, maybe being around Annabeth too much, He could see Luke sitting right where she was, before his scar and the whole war had weighed down on him. Just so he could sit at the grave stone of the person he loves the most in the world. "Yeah, Were good. Just remember, I'm always going to be ready to kick your ass if you ever hurt her, I promise you that. Even if your Ninety-five years old and are in a wheel chair, you hurt her, you won't be seeing your ninety-sixth birthday."  
He laughed nervously because he knew she would do it too. The way she parried his sword from his hands earlier was just as good or better then Luke, and Luke had after all taught Percy his skills. "Yeah, I understand." He made his way down the hill and right as he got to the pillars indicating the exact passage of Camp he looked back once more.  
He could vaguely see two figures up on the hill sitting in the morning sun. They both held hands, their heads leaning on each other. One was a guy with sandy blond hair the other a girl with spiky black hair, both with happy blue eyes as they watched down on the one thing that had always mattered to both of them. There little girl.  
He turned around quickly shaking the vision from his eyes just imagining that he was still sleep deprived and needed to get back to his bed as quickly as possible. And then he would plan to make the best date ever. After all he did have the blessing now.


	6. Comparing Prophecy's

OCTAVIAN  
I cannot believe that Reyna is willing to have a conference with these swine. These barbarians. I mean, just look around their silly little camp if you need proof.  
"Reyna," I mutter angrily into her ear. "I strongly advise against this, you know what they did to our home…"  
Reyna cut me off without hesitation. "You know my opinion on the matter, Octavian. It would be unfair to attack them before hearing them out. Anyways, there will be twelve of us. And if we don't return within two hours, our army has orders to attack."  
I glare at the back of her neck as she sped up to converse with Dakota. Having Percy raised as a praetor polluted the might of Rome enough, without us sitting down to a civil conversation with the vile creatures. Especially after that, that boy Leo blew up the majority of New Rome.  
A civil conversation is the very last thing I want… My eyes roam around the Greeks war council, which I have just entered. If it can even be called a war council.  
Two boys that looked like brothers have their feet propped on a ping pong table and are practicing shooting streams of cheese whiz into each other's mouths at a distance of three feet. A faun is throwing ping pong balls into the air and catching them in his mouth before eating them. A burly, aggressive- looking girl is standing in a corner talking to two guys, one with a quiver and crossbow slung across his back, and one with grey eyes, like Annabeth's. Three girls, one with absurd pink hair are standing in the other corner around some sparkling, dancing purple flower whose pot has strobe lights and music coming out of it. A scrawny boy is talking to a mounted leopard head, and it seems to be answering.  
I decide now that every Greek has no self-pride, and we Romans will wipe them off the map in an instant. The burly, aggressive- looking girl comes over to talk to me and Reyna.  
"Clarisse, daughter of Ares," she says, crossing her arms and looking at us warily.  
Reyna returns the calculating stare, before she says, "Reyna, daughter of Bellona. This is Octavian, legacy of Apollo."  
"I would say that it was nice to meet you, but I avoid lying when possible." Clarisse glares at the both of us grimly. "You are here to wipe out my camp, and I am here to tell you that won't be happening. With Annabeth gone, I'm in charge here."  
One of the brothers comes up behind Clarisse, and the other one joins her other side. "Clarisse, you aren't supposed to threaten them yet! That has to come after the cheese and crackers!"  
"Drew and Rachel aren't even here yet! We have to go through introductions! Then we have to explain why we are here."  
"Then comes the food and the drink! We have to show these Romans our hospitality before we tell them how we are going to kill them."  
Clarisse rolls her eyes without even turning around. "Reyna, Octavian, may I introduce you to Travis and Connor, sons of Hermes. Don't pay any attention to them; they're only here because they are head councilors of our largest cabin."  
Reyna nods. "When will we begin discussing the terms of the war? We have to be back to our base in two hours or our army will attack."  
"That is understood," Clarisse says a grim smile on her lips. "As soon as Drew and Rachel get here, we can start."  
I scowl. These heathens can't even be on time to an impending war! I glance at the door right as two girls walk in. I immediately dismiss the Asian American as a daughter of Aphrodite. But my gaze sticks to the red head.  
She is wearing an ankle length flowing white skirt made of different textures of fabric. The skirt is covered in doodles and scribbles in blue, black, green, and red pens and markers. She had on a green elbow length sleeved save the earth shirt. Her left wrist is covered by seashell bracelets, and her red hair falls over her shoulders perfectly. Her green eyes sit over her freckled cheeks as she takes in the details of the room.  
Her eyes catch mine for a second before I look away. When I glance back at her, she's frowning. I quickly avert my eyes. She's beautiful. Too bad she's a Greek and I will have to destroy her and all of her friends.  
"Why did you have to give me a makeover right before a war council, Drew? There has to have been a better time for it," The red head flung her hair over her shoulder.  
"Oh, sweetie, we need to show those Romans that we do have some class, and these boys aren't doing anything for that cause." Drew, the daughter of Aphrodite, gestures at the brothers, who have returned to their cheese whiz.  
"But a white skirt? And gold eyeliner?" I glance at her eyes again, and notice the gold winking at me every time she blinks.  
"Darling, you look gorgeous. And I'm surprised you even had a skirt."  
"I did have to go to finishing school, remember?"  
I notice the smudges of color all over her hands, right before Clarisse starts the introductions. This girl is an artist.  
"Finally," Clarisse said. "Everyone!" she bellowed. "Our meeting can now start. My name is Clarisse, I am a daughter of Ares, and I am leading Camp Half- Blood." Her eyes roved over everyone, Greeks and Romans alike. "Malcolm is the son of Athena; he is my right hand man. Will is the son of Apollo, and he is my left hand man."  
Stupid girl, I think. She shouldn't have given away the order of leadership to her enemies. I am about to say so when Reyna says, "My name is Reyna, daughter of Bellona. I am the leader of Camp Jupiter's forces. Octavian is my second in command. He is a legacy of Apollo and our augur. Dakota, son of Bacchus, is my third in command."  
My jaw drops open. "Reyna," I mutter in her ear. "You shouldn't just…"  
I am cut off by Clarisse. "We also have Connor and Travis, sons of Hermes, Nyssa, daughter of Hephaestus, Miranda, daughter of Demeter, Lou Ellen, daughter of Hecate, Drew, daughter of Aphrodite, Pollux, son of Dionysus, Grover, one of the Cloven Elders, and Rachel, a mortal who is our oracle."  
My eyes widen. The beautiful girl from earlier is the oracle of Delphi! Even among Romans, that name commands power and respect. I manage at great lengths to keep my cool as I stare at her.  
Reyna starts introducing us, but I can't concentrate. Rachel keeps blinking and the gold eyeliner keeps my eyes glued to her green ones. I can barely tell when Reyna and Clarisse start discussing the impending war.  
"I am sorry, but your boy Leo attacked my camp in a freaking flying war ship, right in front of Octavian! He killed many, and injured more. We must take our revenge," Reyna says stiffly.  
"And you understand that by attacking us here, I won't let my camp surrender until you are finished. You also understand that these two, two breeds of half- bloods have been killing each other, masaquering each other and anyone else involved for centuries."  
"I understand, but we have no choice," Reyna says. "But I would like to minimize the bloodshed in this war."  
"Last time the Greeks and Romans found out about each other, they started the Civil War. That was the bloodiest war in history. And you say you want to avoid bloodshed? That isn't possible."  
"I cannot back down." Reyna sounds strained, as if she couldn't bear actually starting this war.  
"You killed people," I say cutting in. "Families lived in that city that Leo torched. Like it or not, we aren't backing down until we've wiped this stupid little camp off the map."  
"We aren't on any maps. That would be inviting monsters to our front door, silly Roman," one of the brothers says, Travis, I think.  
"And lay off my brother, you asshole," Nyssa, the daughter of Hephaestus growled. "You know full well he was possessed…"  
"Oh, that stupid little excuse they brewed up!" I spit at her. "You really expect me to believe it?"  
Dakota and a centurion from the second cohort pull me back. Two of the Greeks hold Nyssa back too.  
"Quiet," Reyna orders, and no one, Greek nor Roman, even think about disobeying.  
"How many died in the attack?" Clarisse asks.  
"Twenty seven," Dakota says.  
Clarisse nods solemnly. "I could offer a sort of hostage situation, but we can't give you 27 lives."  
"A hostage situation?" I exclaim. "Your side shoots us in cold blood, and we will not stop until we have slaughtered five times as many Greeks as you have Romans."  
"You want to kill this whole camp!" Rachel glares at me with fire in her eyes. "You want all of that death on your head! What good will a war do? Just a higher body count, a pile of bodies to burn!"  
Rachel and I open our mouths to degrade each other further.  
"Octavian…" Reyna warns.  
"Thank you, Rachel," Clarisse says sarcastically. "We are fully aware of your views on the situation."  
"Octavian, it would be more successful to this meeting if you never talk again."  
"Actually, Octavian is your augur, correct?" Reyna nods, a confused look on her face. "Well, Rachel can give him the grand tour, show him how we prophesize on the Greek side of things. If they don't kill each other, that is."  
"I think that's a good idea." I stare at Reyna, flabbergasted.  
"Reyna, you can't be serious, sending me off…"  
"No way in Hades am I giving this ass hat a tour of my cave…"  
"Enough." Reyna's voice commands respect. "Rachel, you will give Octavian the tour. Octavian, you will follow Rachel. Neither of you will kill each other."  
Unable to argue, I sulk to the door, Rachel doing the same. I don't care how pretty she is; if she expects us to just give up without a fight…  
"Now that that's settled, back to a hostage situation…"  
Clarisse's voice fades as Rachel leads me out of the house. We walk along in hostile silence as Rachel doesn't even bother to point out any landmarks or cabins or anything. She leads me into a cave covered by a thick purple velvet curtain.  
Rachel falls onto the couch and I sit on the edge of a love seat across from her. After a moment of silence, I manage to choke out, "So, how do you record your prophecies?"  
Rachel glares at me, every blink refusing to let me look away. "Why do you care," she grumbles. "You are going to kill all of us soon anyways."  
"What matters," I sigh, "is that I have heard stories of the oracle of Delphi since I was born. I'd like to hear about the process. And, we will have to put up with each other until that war council is over, and I'd rather not sit awkwardly on some strangers couch as she glares at me."  
"Fine," she spits. "But I get to choose the topic of conversation." I just look at her. "So, why are you so dead set on this war?"  
I choke on my breath. "Isn't it obvious? The might of Rome has been insulted and demeaned, and we have to wreak our vengeance."  
"That's it? No other reason that you want to burn us alive?"  
"Yes, there is another reason." A painful huff of air escapes my lungs. "My uncle was injured when he was fighting the giant's army. He and my four year old cousin were inside their home when your war ship arrived. When Leo first fired, the first missile hit their house directly, neither of them survived. You know demigods don't live long, and they were the last family I had left, other than my grandma, and she is completely mortal, and she doesn't know about demigods. My cousin, Ally, that morning she gave me a charm bracelet for good luck in the battle. Then a Greek killed her."  
I stop talking, and stare at the floor. Rachel doesn't say anything, and when I glance up at her, there are tears in her gold lined eyes. Suddenly, her eyes turn an eerie green that eats the whites of her eyes and the pupils.  
Rachel's beautiful pink lips part and the roughest, harshest voice comes out.  
"Knowing the future is the power of few;  
"Yet things continue to change from old to new.  
"You hold the choice between destruction and life;  
"If only to overcome your inner strife."  
Rachel's head rolls back and with a great inhalation she falls back against the sofa. I rush to her side and prop her head on my lap. Her eyes fly open, but they look normal.  
"What happened?" she asks groggily.  
"You, you just fainted," I say, not noticing my hands smoothing the hair framing her face.  
"Did I say anything?" She turns on her side and looks up at me, one of her hands resting on my upper thigh, rubbing it slightly, leaving my skin tingling where she touches me.  
"No," I whisper. She pulls herself into a halfway sitting position, her leg pressed against mine, and her head resting on my chest.  
A moment later, she says, "I'm sorry, Octavian. About your family."  
I nod slightly, watching her tilt her head up so her enchanting eyes caught mine. My breathing falters. I push my head down slowly, as she cranes her head up until our lips meet.  
I pull back, expecting a sting on my face from her inevitable slap. Instead, I feel her slide onto my lap and she kisses me again. A small part of my brain reminds me that she is a Greek, and my enemy, but that part quickly dies and her tongue slides into my mouth. I lean forward more and deepen the kiss, running my hands through her hair.  
I slide my hands under her shirt and she pulls away. "Rachel, I'm sorry, I didn't…" I trail off as she takes off her shirt and throws it over the couch. I smile a little bit and take off mine, and I press my mouth against hers.  
We move so that she is lying on top of me, and my hands are moving to the clasp of her bra.  
I am so consumed by Rachel's kiss that I don't notice the two figures standing at the mouth of the cave looking at Rachel and I in shock.  
"Well, it is better than them killing each other, I guess," Clarisse says. Rachel and I spring apart as if we are suddenly released from magnets.  
"Um, we were just…" Rachel starts.  
"Comparing prophecies…" I try.  
"Yeah, I can tell," Clarisse says. "Is it Greek or Roman tradition to 'compare prophecies' without your shirts? And I'm sure that locking lips shares the sight."  
Reyna is staring at us with her eyebrows raised. Why can't they just leave, and let us continue with what we were doing.  
"Octavian, I was coming to tell you I'm heading back to camp. You can stay here and continue to represent the growing peace between our camps, and we are going to continue our peace talk tomorrow. I expect you to be there," Reyna says, smiling, and her eyebrows seem stuck in an annoying raised position.  
"You can stay," Rachel mutters, and when I look at her, her face is flaming red. I feel my face start to heat up as I smile at her a bit.  
"Mmhmm," Clarisse says. "Rachel, if you don't show up to dinner, I'll assume the worst. Your 'friend' is welcome too, of course."  
I feel my face grow even hotter. "Have fun, Octavian," Reyna waggles her eyebrows at me. Reyna and Clarisse walk out of the cave, leaving Rachel and I behind. I hear Reyna's laughter a few seconds later.  
"Um, do you want something to eat?" Rachel asks. Fishing around for her shirt before putting it back on, she stands up and walks into a small kitchen.  
"Uh, sure," I stand up and sit down on one of the fancy little chairs she has.  
She set a plate with crackers and cheese in front of me. I mumble my thanks and she sits down across from me. She sips on her water and I take a swig from my coke.  
"Does this coke taste odd to you?" She looks at me with her eyebrows raised. "Oh, you don't have a coke… I guess it's just me…"  
I start to feel kind of funny, like my senses are being pulled and released on a rubber band. Rachel walks over to me and pours the rest of the coke down my throat, nearly suffocating me.  
"I'm sorry Octavian," Rachel whispers. She presses her lips to mine and says, "But I can't have another war."  
I try to protest, but I can't make my tongue form a single word as the drugs Rachel had put into my drink coarse through my system. I glare at her with the last of my strength before being thrown into darkness.

Rachel  
When Octavian passed out, he slid out of the chair. "Shit," I grumble. I normally keep my language clean, so none of it somehow appears in a prophecy, but I had just knocked out the Romans second in command, in the intentions of using him as a bargaining chip to stop the bloodthirsty Romans from destroying my home. Forgive me.  
I manage to sit him upright on the chair again after about half an hour. For such a skinny guy, he sure is heavy. I take his tiny gold sacrificial knif out of his pocket and I throw it into the trash can. I grab some rope from the cupboard and start to tie him up. After his hands are around the back of the chair and his legs attached to the chairs legs, I shove a gag in his mouth and tie rope around that too.  
I step back and take in my work, swallowing the massive wave of guilt that comes crashing down. I'm only doing this because he wants my home destroyed, I remind myself. Don't feel guilty. Even if the Romans seemed like pretty cool people.  
Hidden in my couch cushion is a special celestial bronze sword that I can adjust the length and width of. I get it out and adjust it to the size of a thick dagger. I look at my clothes and am contemplating changing into something more menacing when I hear a muffled grunt and a chair falling with a loud thud.  
I turn around and see Octavian's face pressed on the floor and him still trying to glare at me.  
"Hey," I say, moving over to set him upright. A muffled grunt escapes his lips, and I get the feeling that he's trying to curse at me. "None of that. I hope you understand why I'm doing this. I cannot watch all of my friends be massacred. And you Romans seem set on killing at least some of us."  
He keeps glaring at me in a foul way. "Now, I'm going to cut your legs away from the chair. Try to attack, and you will be dead in an instant." His eyes dart toward his pocket. "Oh, and I took your knife."  
I cut him free and we start to walk down to where the Romans are camped outside the boundaries. Until Clarisse intercepts me.  
"Rachel," Clarisse says, drawing her sword. "What do you think you are doing?"  
"I'm trying to stop a war! Not with some hostage situation, where we lose an eighth of our campers! I couldn't think of any other way the Romans would leave us alone!"  
"Stand down, Rachel. This is a terrible idea!"  
"No. I will not stand down. Please, get out of my way, Clarisse," I adjust my sword to a very long, thin, rapier style sword.  
"Is that a threat, Dare? You know that I am the best sword fighter in camp!" Clarisse scoffs. Fast as a fox, I readjust my sword to a thick, long dagger, and I press it to Octavian's throat.  
"I know. But if he's dead, Reyna will attack without second thought." I stare at Clarisse, waiting for her decision.  
Finally, she sheaths her sword. "Letting a mortal have a say in war is a bad idea. You haven't been trained for this like I have. This isn't going to turn out well. You should have been trained more, but no, you had to go to a finishing school. If you'd've been here training, you would know exactly why this is a terrible idea."  
I ignore her as I walk around her, and from there I walk uninterrupted into the Roman camp. I walk into the middle of the tents as I drag Octavian behind me. I put him in front of me and press the knife to his throat.  
"Romans!" I yell, trying to keep the waver out of my voice. "I am her to offer your augur's life in exchange for peace between our two camps!"  
A flood of armored teenagers surround me. Reyna and Dakota make their way to the front, Reyna wearing her purple cape over one shoulder.  
"Rachel." Reyna's voice is strained.  
"I am the oracle of Delphi!" I scream, making something up. "And I have foretold that our two camps will destroy each other!"  
I feel Octavian stiffen, as if he knows what I say is true, but I continue. "If tonight, you take back Octavian and go back to your camp, this needs not come to pass."  
"Rachel, let's not do anything rash," Reyna says, lowering her spear. "Let's just talk for a while."  
I want with all my heart to agree, and then get out of there as quickly as possible, but I wasn't sure. I pressed my knife harder against Octavian's neck, making a thin line of red appear.  
"Fine. Let's talk."


	7. Elysium

"No!" I yelled as I pushed past all the familiar people surrounding me. They glanced at me but I kept my eyes to the front of the crowd.  
I kept pushing past them and then finally I broke threw and I reached out to the front gates that were glowing when it meant someone new was entering our little peaceful forever. Just then someone grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me away inches away from touching the gate.  
I spun around to face my opponent. She had blond long hair that was curled nicely around her beautiful face, her grey eyes narrowed at me thoughtfully and I could never fight her, even when I was mortal. She had saved me and gave me a chance to make it to Elysium in the first place.  
"Annabeth what are you doing?" I asked the woman who was so ageless now but I remembered a time when she was smaller and more venerable.  
"No Luke, you can't stop what is happening." She said with so much wisdom that she had always had. "It is inevitable. No matter how much you hate it."  
"Yeah, plus you should be happy like the rest of us." A man with black hair and green eyes said next to her, his arms held out indicating everyone standing behind him. "Not everyone makes it here."  
Friends who should have been my enemies but had forgiven me for everything I had done to them stood behind him. Beckendorf had his arms rapped around Silena who were both smiling at me. Rachel Elizabeth Dare had a paint brush in her hand like she had just stopped what she was doing and came out to greet who was coming in to Elysium which of course like everyone here that's exactly what she had done. My eyes passed over everyone who I knew in my life who had made it there, of course there were people who I hadn't known before when I had gotten here but I knew them too like I had know them when I was alive. Even Nico was here smiling as he walked up to the front of the crowd standing on Percy's other side.  
There were also people who I wished were here but they hadn't made it. I had barely made it here; sometimes I wished I hadn't made it here but when it's a perfect afterlife who could complain? I could.  
"Percy, Annabeth, Nico… You know what would have to happen for her to make it here. She would have to die." I said pleading with all of them.  
"Death is death Luke, you know that all to well. Even immortals die eventually." Nico said putting a hand on my shoulder like he was my best friend.  
"That doesn't make it right!" I yelled pulling at my hair, it hurt but not the way I wanted it to. If you wanted no pain in a perfect afterlife you got none even if you tried to stab yourself. But I had chosen pain because I didn't want to be numb the rest of my afterlife. I always enjoyed pain because it meant I was all here, as Kronos had taken me over slowly there was always a numb feeling, from his first whisper like a breeze to him taking over my body and I fought against he numb feeling to get myself back. That stabbing wound had been the first real pain I had felt in along time and I was glad because it meant I was myself again.  
"She should still be out there, alive and fighting. She should live forever like she had chosen. She should be helping the newest hero's with saving the world. She shouldn't be down here with us." I said using my hands to emphasize how distraught I was.  
"You're not the only one who misses her Luke." Annabeth said. "She was my best friend from the beginning, even when I had grown up and had kids," She grabbed Percy's hand in hers for reassurance. "And then grew old. Don't you remember how we watched her cry over my death?"  
I remember as I waited like the rest of the people here in Elysium, like they were now, and I watched as Annabeth came threw the doors. Her old withered self shinning with gold in till she was younger but still ageless. Her white hair turning blond with a gold shine to it, her faded grey eyes revitalized to a pure shinning grey, her body become strong and her skin smoothing out with no imperfections.  
How I greeted her and she held me in her arms like she did when she was scared when she was little. I showed her around in till we reached the orb in the middle of our lush land. She was entranced with it as she walked barefoot since there were no need to wear shoes. She touched it and like water it rippled and then it showed us our loved ones as they said there last goodbyes to Annabeth's body and burned her shroud remembering everything she had done for them. But one of them had wept more then the others, had dropped everything the minute she had heard and rushed to see Annabeth's lifeless body.  
"Or mine?" Percy said.  
I remembered how Annabeth had waited what only seamed like an hour yet a thousand years for Percy to come threw the gates and his old self become young and ageless like Annabeth. How people cheered for they knew that he disserved this afterlife more then anyone else here. How Annabeth had tackled him like she use to do when they were dating at camp half-blood before they had gotten married and she didn't need to show him she was his because he always would be hers. How she had taken him to the orb and we watched there children, Chiron, the Olympian gods, and the whole Greek world burn his shroud and bid him fair well for his great services to them. How in the back stood one person even after everyone had left, how she walked up to the hearth and seamed to remember Percy more then anyone else. How he was more then just a hero, more then just Poseidon's son and then she fell and cried unable to be strong when she was nothing but at any other time.  
"Or even mine?" Nico said.  
I remembered how Nico had walked through the gates with a confused look on his face like he had never thought he would reach the afterlife since he had always been able to thwart death. How he grew into a smiley ageless person, no shadow always looming over him or weighing him down. How he had greeted Percy with a high-five, had hugged Annabeth and gave her a funny kiss on the hand, how he had hugged me and found Rachel who had been here even before Annabeth, how he grabbed her and swirled her around like they were best friends, how he acted like a normal happy guy that was celebrating how we had all made it here.  
Annabeth had taken Nico over to the orb and we watched how people honored his death, honored the son of Hades. How his sibling after him made his shroud and burned it with the rest of Olympus, they were proud he had given them a fighting chance. How after the shroud burning a lone figure walked over to the hearth and dropped a necklaces with a lightning bolt a seashell and a bone into it and the fire burned growing and changing colors as two of the original three was gone and the lone figure was alone. She cried for once since Percy's death, and they were lonely tears.  
"Or mine? Or mine? Or even mine?" Voices all around the crowd said. I caught some of there faces and all of them had smiles even though they should have been as upset as me. They all knew her yet they were happy she would be joining us, joining the dead when she was never supposed to die in the first time.  
I shook with rage, sadness and nervousness. I didn't know if I could do this when those gates opened this time. She was the last of all of us, and I never thought I would see the day. After all I had promised I would come back threw rebirth since I had thought it would take several more lives to make up for my betrayal but it wasn't necessary. And I watched threw the orb alone as people busied away around me with there perfect afterlife.  
I watched how she had stayed the same threw years and years of immortality. How her clothes changed, her hair changed, everything changed as western civilization changed. But she was still the same person since I had known her, knew her better then anyone else before Kronos ruined everything. And every second I watched her threw the orb wishing I could be there with her like I had promised I would be. I watched as she looked at every Hermes boy with a wanting, wishing I had been reborn and I would be that kid, but I never was and I still cursed myself for not going back and just taking Elysium.  
When the judges had said I would be passed to Elysium before I could say I wanted rebirth I laughed hysterically not thinking about who I was hurting by just going straight threw and breaking my promise, again. But then I realized why they had let me go to Elysium because it was my bittersweet punishment. Annabeth had slapped me for lying to her when I had died but she quickly got over It like Percy and everyone else who joined us. But _she_ didn't know because she would have to die to know I wasn't returning to her.  
And then as I watched the orb what only seamed like minutes ago. I watched as _she_ went into battle like she had been in so many times before. But this time something broke in her, her strength she had always had since the first time I had met her had run out. She stopped fighting, and then I watched as she stepped in front of the immortal who was trying to kill everyone on earth like Kronos, like Gaia and so many others who had tried but failed through out the long years. Electricity hummed in her and with a smile she touched the immortal and both of them writhed in pain as a white light passed over them. When it faded she was gone with the immortal and the demigods and gods stared in awe at her last sacrifice. Artemis ran to where she had been standing and she cried out to the sky, a cry of a mother loosing her child. Zeus had to pry her away so they could talk about the victory of yet another end of the world war. I fell from my chair clutching at where my heart would beat if I was alive and needed it. Then I ran knowing what was next.  
The gates began to open slowly and every one was silent, even me. This was it. This was the moment that I had been waiting for, it had to be. Annabeth took my hand in hers and I looked at her finding reassurance. Percy put a hand on my shoulder giving me strength. And Nico gave me an excited smile and thumbs up which fit him oddly well, it gave me hope. My punishment was over, I was finally getting my happily ever after.  
The gates opened fully and a figure stood there shinning. Thalia stood there no older then the last time I had seen her with my own two eyes before she kicked me off that cliff. Her hair was longer with the ages that passed, every huntress eventually grew out her hair, usually after everything they had at first known faded and changed. Her silver clothes shimmered and they changed to a simple chiton that all of us were given when we entered. And with her clothes she grew older but still ageless, an age that she had never seen on earth. Her hair seamed to change, shorten into what she had always preferred when I had lived on earth. And then she stopped shinning and she held the same gold light we all had being in Elysium. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  
She looked at herself like she couldn't believe it; she examined her hands and then her hair. Then her eyes fell on her welcoming comity, she connected with everyone she had known in the group. Her eyes fell on Annabeth and then Percy and then lastly me.  
She stared at me with those blue electric eyes of hers and so many things passed through them but I couldn't read them. Then she moved forward as the gates fell behind her closed. I rushed forward feeling everything I had before gone, only happiness which I had been waiting for so long.  
I opened my arms waiting for her to come into them, I had waited longer then I had been down here for her to come into them. But she didn't. Instead she reared back her fist and punched me right in the nose.  
She punched me so hard I went flying back into the crowd who had decided they wouldn't catch me and let me fall on the stone road. I was so shocked I just held my nose that was throbbing, it should have been gushing blood but again I wasn't alive, I looked up to her as she walked slowly to my side looking down at me with anger across her beautiful face.  
Percy rushed forward like he was ready to stop her if she tried to attack me, but I would just let her because I disserved it. Annabeth stepped forward and said "There's no need for violence." She sounded like her mother who was always one for the best logic.  
Thalia ignored her grabbed my camp half-blood t-shirt and thrusted me up to my feet to face her. She had her teeth gritted, her eyes flashing, her strength straining from hitting me again but she spoke calmly. "You moron, I could kill you right now if you weren't already dead. What the Hades were you thinking when joining Kronos? Did you think I would forget after two-thousand years, because I haven't."  
Guilt crushed down on me again. I don't know what I was thinking. He was so convincing, so persuasive. "I was thinking you were one of my reasons." I said almost nose to nose with her as she held me painfully by the shirt to her.  
She groaned frustrated and angry. "You stupid, little Hermes's boy and your gods awful smooth talk-"I closed my eyes ready for the next assault. "God's I missed you." I opened my eyes realizing her last words weren't angry. She looked at me with a longing that had just been quenched.  
"I've missed you for so long that-"I started feeling relieved that she did miss me after all the grief I had caused her through out the years.  
"Oh just shut up." She kissed me, still holding on to my shirt. I had been waiting for that for so long it was ridicules, I had almost given up thinking I would never get it. Happiness spread across me and I began to smile which ruined our kiss but her tears also ruined it so I wasn't my entire fault. Then she pulled away and her arms wrapped around my neck, she was trembling.  
I held on to her as she began to cry. The last time she had cried was at her brother's funeral, she burned his shroud and almost fell into the fire from grief knowing that he was officially dead, the last of her age, the original age she had tried to grow up with. He was somewhere here in the crowd around us watching, probably with Piper, Leo, Reyna and the other seven who had saved us the second time from a world apocalypse. He had died and entered a hero here what seamed like nothing to me but it had been almost two thousand years for her.  
"How could you leave me like that? I was waiting; I was always waiting for you to come back." She sobbed into my shirt and I pressed her into my chest more smoothing down her familiar choppy hair.  
"I'm sorry. They tricked me. They made me believe I didn't need to go threw three rebirths to get here, and I agreed not thinking in till I was here and everyone got here but you and I waited and waited, it was my punishment because I didn't want you to be here with me because that would mean you would be dead with me but I also wanted you here with me so much I thought I would die a second time. Please forgive me."  
"I've always forgiven you stupid lovable idiot." She looked at me and smiled wiping away a tear. "So this is eternity? Looks boring." She looked around at the perfect buildings that were growing bigger and bigger as Annabeth couldn't help but design them that way. People started to go back to what they were doing before, which was basically what ever they wanted to do leaving us alone.  
"Now that you're here, it won't be anymore." I said in her ear and she smiled at me. "You and your spiky hair Thals will bring this ageless place into the… um what year is it now?" I asked forgetting since it had been a long time since I had been on earth.  
"Three thousand, six hundred and seventy two AD." She said it like she practiced it all the time. A long whistle sounded from me and she laughed. "Damn, I almost beat Zoë in her long employment."  
"Yeah, you can talk to her about it later." I said with my arm around her waist and hers around my shoulders as she leaned into me like it was natural which it was.  
"What?" She looked at me with shock. It was so odd to see her so old since she wasn't almost sixteen anymore but she wasn't an old woman either, she was an ageless woman of my dreams.  
"She's here in Elysium with us. Artemis put her in the sky and part of her soul came down here and she made it here easily with flying colors. She's in the crowd probably with Phoebe and the rest of the use to be huntresses enjoying there time _not_ hating men." I recalled Zoë and her second Phoebe who had showed up a few hundred years after Zoë did. I could recall everyone here like perfect memory.  
"Oh my gods." Tears welled in her eyes again. "I miss Phoebe so much. She was the best second anyone could have. She kept me from killing myself after all of your deaths."  
"It was that bad huh?" I said it quietly and she leaned into me heavily.  
"Yeah, it was." I almost had to strain to hear her. "The first couple years after joining are always the hardest because you watch as everyone who use to be your age or younger grow up and have kids of there own. Then when they start dying you start wanting to die with them, knowing a part of your soul was dying with them. Then after the last important death you become sort of numb, just going on with life and doing your duty to earth not caring or ever getting attached afraid if you do you'll die a little again when they die. This is why Chiron and I were close after all of you were gone. We both trained our family but just to watch them eventually die. Not even my original sisters in the hunt survived till now, Phoebe was the last to die and I was left training new girls who eventually died within the first years or first couple centuries. It was so depressing and I felt the need to kill myself everyday. But I knew there was always a chance that you were coming back but you never did, did you?" Her spectacular blue eyes were shinning.  
"No." I felt horrible as I listened to her.  
She nodded against me. "Yeah and I think I realized that through the last great Prophecy number five."  
"There were five Prophecies?" I asked her not realizing it even though I had watched her for hundreds of years through the orb.  
"Yeah, Two with Percy and there was peace for a long time, a really long time then the Third came along and practically killed everything on earth. Human life restarted as the gods took back what was there's, Phoebe and I with a few other girls survived and carried on. Humans rebuilt from the ashes and created something that was better then before and that lasted for a while in till the fourth came along but a boy like Percy stopped it before it could even happen. Then the fifth came along and nobody knew what to make of the Prophecy. Well not in till I understood it and saved everyone at my death." She shrugged like it wasn't that big of a deal but it was a huge deal.  
"So you're like a war hero, like Percy and the seven?" I asked her and she smiled sadly.  
"Yeah I guess I am. It only makes sense. Through one immortal Lie, Olympus will parish fast, The Immortal one shall die, when the first sacrifice becomes the last."  
"That's the fifth prophecy?" I asked her taking in the words trying to understand them but not.  
"Yeah, simple but the hardest damn thing ever. Like when searching for something that can only be found when you're _not_ searching for it." She laughed trying to lighten the mood.  
"What's it mean since I know you figured it out."  
"The first line- Through one immortal lie, that's the lie that the Olympians made when saying they would remember there children and wouldn't ignore them anymore. The second- Olympus will parish, how obvious could you get? The third- The immortal one shall die, the immortal one being Kronos who had come back for the official last time of his stupid immortal life-"  
"Wait hold on? Are you telling me that the first prophecy is coming true again?" I eyed her knowing the horror of being Kronos's pawn, his once most trusted pawn.  
"Yeah mostly except he knew his mistakes and fixed them. Also I stopped him with the last line." She looked at me to see if I would interrupt her again. "The fourth and last line- When the first sacrifice becomes the last, everyone thought through the first prophecy that it was your sacrifice you made but I realized at the last moment it wasn't. It was my sacrifice. I was the first in the prophecy, and I had sacrificed myself up on that hill, it was the same with this one. The first sacrifice becomes the last. And here I am with you in the afterlife."  
"Oh my gods." I said dumbfound at her.  
"What?" She asked me truly confused.  
"I think I'm in love with you all over again." I said looking at her and not believing all that she's gone through.  
"Well it's good to know you still love me even after so many years." She said sarcastically to me.  
"I've loved you ever since we were kids Thalia and I'll love you in till hell freezes over." She looked up at me not believing me now.  
"Please don't promise me that because you're terrible at keeping them." She looked up at me with those luminous eyes framed by hair that was only attractive on her.  
"Okay I _don't_ promise Thalia Grace," I got down on one knee like I was purposing to her. "That I will love you forever and beyond."  
She laughed and sat down on my knee. "And I _don't_ promise Luke Castellan that I will never give up on you and your stupid face." I was about to say 'Hey!' when she kissed me and this was more productive.  
I leaned into her and we eventually toppled over on to the lush green grass. We continued to kiss like that and it could have been a few minutes or centuries. It didn't matter because I had her back in my arms and she was here to stay this time. I was finally having my happy ending.  
Eventually we broke apart and looked at each other in till I spoke. "So now that your not a huntress you can finally enjoy the magical ness of physical lov-"  
She leaned into me and kissed me once to shut me up when she pulled away she smiled and said "You may be my first for everything but you need to start with the first date before we get there smart one."  
I laughed and she joined me. Not a care in the afterlife. We enjoyed Elysium together with everyone else finally. I had her and she had me and it was perfect like it was designed.  
And that's how it all ended with the first sacrifice becoming the last.


End file.
